Chicken Cassoulet
Bake a delicious and hearty chicken cassoulet at home! This simple recipe features tender chicken and flavorful sausage slow-cooked with creamy white beans and aromatic vegetables in a rich broth. Perfect for a comforting family meal.
Ingredients
- ½ pound dry white beans (cannellini or great northern beans)
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock, broth, or water
Only Choose 1 Chicken Option
- 2 chicken leg quarters, bone-in and skin-on
- 4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1-½ tablespoons oil (canola, olive, or vegetable)
- ¼ pound mild Italian or garlic sausage (chicken or pork), uncooked
- ¾ cup onion, ¼-inch chop (1 medium onion is about 1 cup chopped)
- ½ cup carrot, ¼-inch chop (1 large carrot is about 1/2 cup chopped)
- ½ cup celery, ¼-inch chop (1 medium celery stalk is about ½ cup diced)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (1 garlic clove is about 1 teaspoon minced or ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder)
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced (1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs) (optional)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs, toasted (optional)
Instructions
Preparation Directions
- Clean the kitchen area and wash hands with soap and water.
- Gently rub produce under cold running water. Scrub firm produce with a clean vegetable brush under cold running water.
- Soak the beans using the method of your choice - traditional soak, hot soak, or quick soak.
- Drain and rinse the white beans.
Cooking Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325˚F.
- Do not rinse raw poultry.
- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Wash hands after touching raw poultry.
- Wash the counter, utensils, and plate that come in contact with raw poultry.
- In a large, oven-safe, heavy bottom pot, heat the oil over medium heat. If you don’t have an oven-safe pan, once the beans have simmered for 15 minutes, transfer to a baking or casserole dish when you transfer them to the oven.
- Once the oil is hot, brown the chicken leg quarters and sausages. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
- Stir and sauté until the vegetables have softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat if vegetables are browning.
- And bay leaf (optional.)
- Add beans to the pot.
- Add stock, broth, or water, enough to cover the beans.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add sausages and chicken leg quarters by arranging on top of the beans in the pot.
- Transfer to the oven and cook uncovered for 1-½ to 2-½ hours or until the beans are tender and the internal temperature of chicken reaches 165℉ on a food thermometer. If needed, add more broth after 45 minutes of cooking to keep the beans submerged.
- Remove the bay leaf before serving if added.
- Serve topped with parsley and toasted breadcrumbs (optional).
Storage
- Refrigerate any leftovers as soon as possible or within 2 hours for safety.
- Use leftovers within 4 days and reheat to 165˚F before consuming.
- Leftovers can also be frozen in freezer-grade containers or bags and used within 3 to 4 months for best quality.
Video
Notes
- For more information about food and beverage storage go to the FoodKeeper Website or App (FoodSafety.gov).
- The Nutrition Facts Label does not include optional ingredients.
- The Nutrition Facts Label is based on using 4-ounce skin-on chicken thighs and Italian chicken sausage.
In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Services, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).
