Slow Cooker Chicken Gumbo

Welcome to October! It is a crisp 65 here this morning in New Jersey, so there is no better time to whip out your slow cooker and start making warm and hearty meals. I'm always on the look out for new slow cooker ideas because I usually lean toward making either pulled pork or chili and both of those can get old. This is a great dish with spicy New Orleans flavors that aren't as common which makes it diferent and refreshing. Give it a try this week!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - Diced

2 Andouille Sausages (I used Italian Sausages instead)

1 Large Onion - Diced

3 Medium Poblano Peppers - Seeded and Diced

10 oz Frozen Okra - Thawed

2 Celery Stalks  - Diced (I omitted this but you can add it back in)

2 Cups Low Sodium Tomato Juice

2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 Tsp Dried Thyme

1 Tsp Dried Oregano

1/2 Tsp Onion Powder

1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 Tsp Mustard Powder

1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Ground Black Pepper

2 Bay Leaves

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

2-3 Cups Cooked White Rice

Adapted from: www.foodnetwork.com

Choose your largest slow cooker bowl if you have the option. Pour the vegetable oil in and spread it around to coat the bottom. Dice the chicken into large pieces and place it in the bowl, arrange the sausage on top. The recipe calls for Andouille Sausage but we already had regular Italian in the house so I substituted, feel free to use the traditional sausage instead if you'd like you'll get a more spicy Gumbo flavor.

Dice up all of you vegetables and toss them into the bowl. My only suggestion to make this recipe better would be if you are home and able to do this I would add the Okra into the bowl maybe about halfway through your cooking time. Since they are frozen, they came out pretty mushy by the time the Gumbo had finished cooking.

Pour in the tomato juice and the chicken broth, then add almost all of the seasoning. Give it a few good stirs and place the Bay leaves on top of the mixture. Set your slow cooker onto low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. When you are about 30 minutes away from eating get your rice ready, following the instructions on the package for your particular brand and variety. Serve a few heaping spoonfuls of Gumbo onto of a bed of rice.

Enjoy!! - Nicole

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