Cajun Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo

Cajun Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo 1 whole chicken about 3 lbs 1 onion chopped small 14 ounce package smoked sausage 14 ounce package polska kielbasa 2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning spice mix add more at the end to taste 1 teaspoon Garlic powder 1 bay leaf 1 cup of all purpose flour I used brown rice flour and it worked great 1 bunch flat leaf parsley leaves only, chopped small (Michelle says that a cup or so of dried parsley works fine as well) Cooked rice Optional: Potato salad * Place the chicken, onion and the spices in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the chicken falls off the bone. (This should take 60-90 minutes.) When the chicken is done, remove the whole chicken from the broth and save the broth in the pot. You should have 8-10 cups of broth. When the chicken is cool enough to touch, pull all the meat off the bones in bite size pieces and return it to the pot. While the chicken is cooling, slice the sausage into 1/4" thick rounds and brown it in a large skillet over medium high heat. When it has browned on both sides, place the sausage and any drippings into the pot with the broth. (Searing the sausage prevents it from swelling when you cook it in the broth.) Continue to cook the sausage and the chicken in the broth over medium heat, stirring frequently so that the chicken doesn't sit on the bottom of the pot for too long and burn. While the meats start simmering in the broth, you are going to make a dry roux (a.k.a. browned flour). Place the flour in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Stir constantly as the flour begins to brown. When it is about the color of caramel, place it in the gumbo mixture. Test to make sure the soup is hot enough first, by dropping a teaspoon of the browned flour into the soup. You should hear a sizzling sound. If it sizzles, add the rest of the flour. Stir to combine the flour with the broth. It will turn a very dark brown, almost chocolate color. Add the parsley and then reduce the heat to a low simmer for about an hour. It will thicken as you cook it. When done, taste and add whatever seasoning is needed. Put the cooked rice in a wide bowl or on a plate and serve the gumbo on top of it. Serve potato salad on top or on the side if desired.