Chicken and Sausage Gumbo with Okra

From the garden

• 1 lb fresh okra, stemmed and sliced into half-inch rounds
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 green onions, sliced (optional)

From the pantry

• 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks
• 12 oz smoked sausage (andouille if you can get it), sliced into rounds
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 6 cups chicken stock, warmed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1½ cups long-grain rice · cooked, for serving
• hot sauce · to taste, at the table
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Brown the sausage rounds in a dry Dutch oven over medium heat until their fat renders and the edges crisp, about 5 minutes; set aside. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, brown it in the drippings 3–4 minutes per side, and set it aside too. It finishes in the pot later.
2. Make the roux: add the oil and flour to the pot over medium heat and stir constantly with a flat-edged spoon, scraping the whole bottom, for 20–30 minutes. It will go from blond to peanut butter to the color of milk chocolate. That dark stage is where gumbo's flavor lives. If you see black specks, it's burnt; start over.
3. The moment the roux hits milk-chocolate brown, stir in the onion, bell pepper, and celery. The vegetables stop the roux from darkening further; cook 5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic, smoked paprika, and oregano for 1 minute.
4. Whisk in the warm stock a ladle at a time so the roux stays smooth. Add the bay leaves, thyme, sausage, and chicken. Simmer gently, uncovered, 30 minutes, skimming any fat that pools on top.
5. Add the okra and simmer 15–20 minutes more, until the okra is tender and the gumbo has thickened to a loose, spoon-coating stew. The okra's body is doing traditional thickening work here. Pull the bay leaves and thyme stems; season assertively with salt, black pepper, and hot sauce.
6. Serve in bowls over a mound of rice, scattered with green onions, with the hot sauce bottle on the table. Chicken should be at 165°F, which a long simmer guarantees.