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1
Heat the oil in a heavy 5-quart pot over medium heat.
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2
Add the chicken and brown on all sides.
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3
Remove chicken and set aside.
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4
Make a roux by blending the flour into the oil in the pot and stirring constantly with a long-handled spoon until the mixture is a deep coffee brown.
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5
Add the sausage, ham, onion, green pepper and celery.
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6
Saute, stirring, for about 10 minutes.
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7
Add the browned chicken, scallions, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaves and enough water to cover, stirring to incorporate the roux into the liquid.
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8
Stir in salt and pepper and simmer the soup slowly, partly covered, until the chicken is tender, about 1 hour.
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9
If you are using the very spicy rind of tasso ham, you will probably not need cayenne or Tabasco.
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10
Otherwise, add either toward the end of cooking.
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11
Take out the chicken and set aside just until cool enough to handle.
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12
Pull off the skin and bones and return the chicken to the soup in large pieces.
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13
Adjust seasoning if needed.
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14
The soup can be prepared in advance up to this point and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 2 days.
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15
Skim fat from soup.
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16
Bring the soup to a simmer.
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17
Five minutes before serving, remove from heat and stir in the file powder.
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18
Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes.
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19
Do not boil the soup after the file has been added.
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20
Mound rice in soup plates and ladle the gumbo over.
