Wash chicken breast and place in pan with enough water to cover plus 2 cups. Add spices listed in the right column above. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until tender.
While chicken is cooking, coarsely chop onion, celery, green pepper and garlic. In a dutch oven, saute vegetables in olive oil until soft. Cut smoked ham steak into bite sized pieces. Peel potato and cut into small cubes. Wash, shell and devein shrimps and cut each one in half.
When chicken is done, remove from pan to cool. Remove bay leaf from broth and set broth aside for later. When chicken is cool, remove and discard skin and bones and cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Place the Dutch oven containing the vegetables over medium heat. Add broth, tomatoes, ham and chicken. Let simmer 1 hour.
Add shrimp, potatoes, okra, rice and parsley flakes. Let simmer for another 1/2 hour to forty five minutes. Serve with corn muffins, tossed salad and an ice cold beverage.
