Chicken Gumbo

I tried out this recipe for chicken gumbo tonight and LOVED it! It uses a large variety of spices, but they're all pretty common-- I had all of them in my spice cabinet. I tweaked some of the spices to make it extra flavorful, and I made a double batch so I would have some freezer meals. Be sure to serve this over rice... it's delicious!

Ingredients:
2 t. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 med. green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 in pieces
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. salt
2 bay leaves
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. cayenne (I used 1/8 t. and it was perfect)
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
1 10oz pkg. frozen sliced okra
2 links andouille sausage (I used a pkg. of smoked sausage), diced
4 c. reduced sodium chicken broth
2 c. tomato juice
Rice (for serving)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over med. high heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until softened.

2. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides.

3. Add all the spices and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute until the spices are fragrant, then add the okra, sausage, broth, and tomato juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until cooked through. (I let it simmer for an additional 15 minutes to give the flavors more time to develop.

4. Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice.