Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Steps

1. Season the boneless skinless chicken thighs with Cajun seasoning and garlic powder. Cover them with foil and place in the oven at 300-325°F for about an hour.
2. Prepare the Holy Trinity: Cut the white onion, green bell pepper (cutting the skin side down), jalapeño outer parts, and celery into pieces. Use a garlic press to add garlic.
3. In a heavy bottom pot, start with cold oil and render the fat out of the Andouille or smoked sausage over medium heat. Drain the excess sausage meat but leave as much fat in the pan as possible for the flavor base.
4. Add about 1 cup of oil and about 1 to 1/4 cups of flour to the pot, whisk them together, and cook on medium heat until the roux reaches a dark color (this will take about an hour). Stir every so often to prevent burning.
5. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven. Add the cooked flavorful chicken and the liquid gold/broth created by the chicken to the pot with the roux.
6. Add salt to help soften the vegetables, then add the Holy Trinity (onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, celery) to the pot. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
7. Pour in the store-bought or homemade chicken stock and bring it to a simmer. Add bay leaves, lots of black pepper, and hot sauce if desired.
8. Add the cooked sausage and fresh thyme to the gumbo. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
9. After simmering, add okra (or gumbo flour) until tender. Continue cooking until the desired consistency is reached.
10. To make rice: Melt butter in a pot and coat long grain wild rice with the melted butter, adding salt and two parts water to one part rice. Add stock instead of some or all of the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until all liquid is absorbed.
11. Serve the gumbo over the cooked rice.