Photo: Weekday Cassoulet Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, cut in 1/2 through the bone
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 pound slab bacon, sliced into large lardons
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cups cooked Northern white beans
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 tomato, sliced very thinly
- Garlic Bread Crumbs, recipe follows
- 1 baguette, sliced, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse and dry the chicken well and season with salt and pepper. 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 onion, celery, carrots and garlic and saute 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 and bacon into the pot. Add the chicken stock, cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the lid and top the cassoulet with sliced tomatoes and the Garlic Bread Crumbs. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, 15 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 saute 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, to taste, and remove from heat.
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By Celeste125
Edmonton Alberta
on February 01, 2012
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This has become my go to recipe for potlucks and gift meals - it is has been universally well received and has made me look like a rockstar!! Thanks Melissa
By ivy_11625306
Paramus, NJ
on January 22, 2012
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This was an amazing dish! The bacon really flavored the chicken and the white beans; and everything came out smoky and flavorful! I ran out of bread to make breadcrumbs; so I used pre-made italian breadcrumbs that was already in my pantry. I left out the tomatoes at the end; because I also did not have any tomatoes in hand. And also, I followed other reviewers advice, and skipped the part where you have to cut the chicken in half. However, the dish still turned out delicious and perfect for cold winter days! Thanks Melissa!
By eckbergc
Raleigh, NC
on January 21, 2012
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OMG - this was AWESOME!!! I used thick cut bacon slices as well (since my store didn't have slab bacon and I cut off a little bit of the fat since I was using skin on chicken thighs. Our tomatoes didn't look so good so I used drained diced tomatoes from a can. Came out wonderfully!! the only thing I might cut back on in the future is the thyme - was a little overpowering, but still good. Thank you Melissa - will definitely be making this again!!
Read all 126 reviews