Cajun-Style Chicken Gumbo

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning or 1 teaspoon creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 carrot, cup thinly sliced can be julienne
• 1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 14 ounces reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 14 1/2 ounces no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 cups cooked rice, hot
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
• additional hot pepper sauce (optional)

Directions

7. Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces; place in medium bowl.
8. Sprinkle with seasoning and thyme; toss well.
9. Set aside.
10. Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
11. Add onion, bell pepper, carrots, celery and garlic to saucepan; cover and cook 10 minutes or until vegetable are crisp-tender, stirring once.
12. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle mixture with flour, cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
13. Add chicken broth, tomatoes and pepper sauce; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center, vegetables are tender and sauces is slightly thickened.
14. Ladle gumbo into 4 shallow bowls, top each with a scoop of rice sprinkle with parsley and serve with additional pepper sauce, if desired