Back by popular demand at our Tuesday Lunch today was Chef Sandy’s one-pot wonder, French Cassoulet. This thick stew makes for a hearty meal on a cold night, and it’s just chock full of flavor. How can such a delicious entree be so easy?! (The Cassoulet is available in our Dinners on Demand freezers by the quart, as well. Click here for more information.)
French Cassoulet
- 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on, cut in 1/2 through the bone
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 pound bacon, large dice
- 1-2 links garlic sausage or dry chorizo or kielbasa, sliced into ½ to 1-inch slices
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cups cooked Northern white beans
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- Garlic bread crumbs (recipe follows)
- 1 baguette, sliced, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse and dry the chicken well. Season with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
In a large Dutch oven, over medium-low heat, add the bacon and slowly render the fat. Remove the bacon to a plate when crispy, leaving the fat in the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken on both sides and then remove to a plate. Add the sausage and brown; remove to a plate. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce by half. Stir in the beans, bay leaf and thyme. Nestle the chicken thighs, sausage and bacon into the pot. Add the chicken stock, cover, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the lid, and top the cassoulet with garlic bread crumbs. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes longer. Serve the cassoulet with baguette slices.
Garlic Bread Crumbs
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 slices slightly stale or dried bread, pulsed into crumbs in food processor
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a small sauté pan over low heat, add the oil and the garlic. Stir until the oil is fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss in the bread crumbs and cook until the bread crumbs start to turn golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.