Chicken-Andouille Gumbo

This is my favorite style of gumbo. I’ve enjoyed it literally all my life, as it is basically my mother’s recipe, a regular part of her weekly cooking regimen. This gumbo is made in the old style, which is to say that the broth is not as thick as has come to be the vogue in most restaurants these days. We called it filé gumbo because Mama put filé (powdered sassafras leaves) only in chicken gumbo and okra only in seafood gumbo. The filé goes in at the table, and then just a pinch for aroma.