Filé:
Season and brown chicken in oil (lard, bacon drippings) over medium high heat.
Add sausage to pot and sauté with chicken. Remove from pot. Filter rendered fat. Make roux with equal parts of fat and flour (1 cup). Stir roux constantly, when roux turns nutty brown colour, add Trinity and garlic. Stir roux until vegetables are tender.
Bring stock to a boil. Return chicken and sausage to pot and simmer with vegetables. Add stock to roux, chicken, and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for an hour or more. Season to taste. Approximately 10 minutes before serving, add green onions and parsley. Gumbo may or may not be served over rice.
Filé – a fine green powder of young, dried ground sassafras leaves used in gumbo for flour and thickening.