If you’ve ever wondered what the French actually make at home, this Chicken Cassoulet is just the sort of thing! It is JB’s easy take on classic French cassoulet, swapping duck confit and Toulouse sausages for chicken, and dried beans for canned. Gorgeously cosy, rustic, and hearty.
I know this might shock you, but believe it or not, the French aren’t whipping up Beef Bourguignon, Coq au Vin and fancy soufflés every night of the week! Just like us, they want delicious dinners that don’t take hours to make. And today’s Chicken Cassoulet is just the sort of thing JB tells me French families actually cook at home on Monday nights.
Inspired by the French classic cassoulet, JB has traded the duck confit and Toulouse sausages for chicken and bacon, and skipped the overnight bean soaking in favour of canned beans. But he’s kept all the things that make cassoulet so wonderful – tender meat, creamy beans, the crunchy topping (LOVE THIS!) and a beautiful tomato-based sauce rich with wine and herbs.
Plus, he gets bonus points for making it a complete meal – protein, starch and a surprising amount of vegetables (tomato, onion and carrots!).
Ingredients in JB’s Chicken Cassoulet
Here’s what you need to make this chicken and bean casserole.
1. The Chicken and Bacon
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Boneless chicken thighs – Using boneless chicken thighs makes the baking time so quick (just 20 minutes), putting this within reach midweek. To use chicken breast, you’ll need to cook it through on the stove, then bake the beans without the chicken (else it will overcook), then pop it back on just at the end for the grilling/broiling part.
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Bacon – It’s best to use streaky bacon as the dish relies on the fat from the bacon to cook the chicken. Extra flavour! If you use lean bacon, you might need to add a bit of extra oil to brown the chicken.
2. For the Cassoulet
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Cannellini beans – Traditional cassoulet is made with dried Tarbais or Lingot beans which are slow cooked with the meat. For this easy version, JB uses canned cannellini beans. Much faster to just crack open cans than soaking overnight and slow cooking! Feel free to use other beans, like kidney beans, butter beans or navy beans, though white beans are more traditional.
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Cherry tomatoes – JB wants me to tell everyone, tomato isn’t strictly traditional but it’s a modern variation. He likes how they soften and burst as the casserole cooks, releasing their sweet juices into the sauce. They also add lovely little pops of freshness that balance the richness of the dish. They also bring bright pops of colourful red into an otherwise rather brown dish!
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Onions – Just regular brown onions, finely chopped.
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Carrots – Medium or large ones, peeled, cut into quarters lengthways then into small pieces.
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Garlic – 3 big cloves, finely minced with a knife. A garlic crusher works here too.
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Herbs – Rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. The sauce of cassoulet is perfumed with herbs and it is what makes it so delicious! Try to use fresh if you can (all three are very hardy, hard-to-kill plants). Dried herb amounts are included in the recipe for those who need them.
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Chardonnay or other white wine – The French love to cook with wine, because they know it brings a wonderful depth of flavour to sauces, and that’s the role it plays in this cassoulet. Chardonnay is JB’s favourite to cook with because it adds more flavour, but really, you can use any dry white wine. No need to use an expensive one either.
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Cornflour / cornstarch – Thickens the sauce slightly. Traditional cassoulet cooks for hours, allowing the sauce to thicken naturally. This quicker version needs a little help, otherwise the sauce is watery.
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Chicken stock – The liquid for the sauce. Use low sodium if you can; if not, skip the salt in the sauce.
3. Crunchy Topping
The crunchy topping is a signature part of cassoulet. Here’s what you need:
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Panko breadcrumbs – Larger than regular breadcrumbs, for extra crunch. Find them in the Asian aisle of regular grocery stores, or cheaper in Asian stores.
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Olive oil – Mixed through the breadcrumbs to help the topping brown beautifully.
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Parsley – For lovely little green flecks in the topping. Chives work well as a substitute.
