How to Make Gumbo

Ingredients

• 6 boneless chicken thighs with skin
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ¼ cup coconut oil, duck fat, or lard, for frying
• 5 tablespoons bacon fat or duck fat (or unsalted butter if not dairy-sensitive)
• 0.33 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 heads roasted garlic or 6 cloves raw garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar
• 1 teaspoon stevia glycerite
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine
• 4 cups beef bone broth
• 1 (14½-ounce) can stewed tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups frozen sliced okra
• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
• ½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 green onions, white and green parts, sliced

1. Season the chicken thighs with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for about 8 minutes, until browned on all sides, and remove from the pan.
2. Turn the heat to low and melt the bacon fat in the pan. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add the coconut aminos, vinegar, stevia, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
3. Add the broth, whisking constantly. Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
4. About 10 minutes before the mixture is done simmering, place the sausage and the shrimp in a sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for about 6 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and no longer translucent, flipping halfway through. Remove from the heat.
5. Remove the chicken thighs from the pan. The chicken should be very tender. Remove the meat from the bones and save the bones to make chicken bone broth (I store bones in the freezer). Place the chicken meat and skin back into the pot.
6. Just before serving, add the green onions, cooked sausage, and shrimp.