Chicken gumbo

This spin on the popular soul food dish uses readily available green beans in place of classic okra, and is cooked in a punchy, Cajun spiced broth.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Ready in: 30 mins

Suitable for freezing

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 600g pack Co-op British Chicken Breast, chopped into 3-4cm chunks
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped into 2cm chunks
• 1 stick celery, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp Cajun spice mix
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 250ml chicken stock
• 100g fine green beans
• 1 bay leaf
• Cooked rice, to serve

Method

1. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan, then add half the chicken and fry until browned all over. Remove the meat and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan and repeat with the second batch of chicken.
2. Add the onion, pepper and celery to the pan and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the garlic to the pan along with the Cajun spice mix and dried thyme, and cook for a further 1 min.
3.  Add the chicken back to the pan, then stir in the flour until well combined with the meat. Pour in the tomatoes, stock, green beans and bay leaf, then bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 18-20 mins until thickened.
4.  Season and serve with cooked rice.