Easy Chicken Gumbo

Serves: 4 (1 cup servings)
WW Points per Serving: 7

1 tbsp. - Olive Oil
2 - Onions, thinly sliced
4 - Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, trimmed and cut into chunks
3 cups - Frozen (thawed) or fresh Okra
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can - Petite Diced Tomatoes
5 - Celery Stalks with leaves, sliced
3 - Garlic Cloves, peeled
1 1/2 cups - Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth
1 tsp. - Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp. - Salt
1/4 tsp. - Cayenne
2 tsp. - Gumbo File' Powder
2 cups - Hot Cooked Brown Rice

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the onions to a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker and stir in the chicken, okra, tomatoes, celery and garlic.
3. Whisk together the broth, thyme, salt and cayenne and add to the slow cooker. Cover and cook until the chicken is fork-tender, 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. Disregard the garlic. Turn off the slow cooker and stir in the file' powder. Cover and let stand until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.
4. Divide the rice evenly among 4 bowls and top with the gumbo.

*File' powder, used to thicken gumbo and other Creole dishes in New Orleans, is made from the ground dried leaves of the sassafras tree. It is always stirred into a dish after it is removed from the heat, otherwise it will become stringy.