Chicken Gumbo

This version is lighter than a traditional Louisiana gumbo, but it still captures the spicy, smoky flavors of the original. Older recipes usually recommend browning the chicken in bacon fat, which is an excellent way of giving a subtle smokiness to the broth. Although very little bacon fat will find its way into the finished soup, you can substitute vegetable oil if the idea bothers you.

Gumbo can be thickened in three ways: with roux, okra, or file powder. This version uses okra be