Quick Chicken Casssoulet

DinnerBelle's Note:

This is an easy to assemble recipe that makes enough hearty cassoulet to feed a crowd -- or to freeze half. It came from a grocery store website that credits "Christmas 101" by Rick Rodgers. Use turkey italian sausage to keep it lean. I save a step by using seasoned breadcrumbs and eliminating the parsley.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 3 lbs chicken thighs , boneless and skinless, well-trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons canola oil , divided
• 1 tablespoon Italian herb seasoning
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes , with juices
• 1 ½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 ½ lbs italian sweet sausage , casings removed
• 2 onions , chopped
• 1 red bell pepper , chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 4 (15 ounce) cans white kidney beans , rinsed and drained
• ½ cup dried breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. In very large skillet or Dutch oven, warm 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. In batches without crowding, cook chicken thigh pieces, turning, until browned lightly on all sides, about 15 minutes total.
3. Sprinkle chicken with Italian herbs, salt and pepper.
4. Add wine; bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits on the bottom of pan with a wooden spoon.
5. Add tomatoes with their juices, broth and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer.
6. In another large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up pieces with side of large spoon, about 8 minutes. Add onions, pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 6 minutes.
7. Stir into chicken mixture, along with beans.
8. In small bowl, combine bread crumbs and parsley. Sprinkle over top of cassoulet.
9. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Using large spoon, gently press the thin crust that has formed on the cassoulet just under the surface.
10. Return to oven and continue baking until cassoulet is simmering and another crust has formed, about 30 minutes.
11. Let stand 15 minutes before serving hot.

Reviews

[St. Louie Suzie]

The whole family loved it! Great comfort food on a cold day.

Mine didn't really form a crust with the bread crumbs the way the recipe described. It just sort of soaked in. Maybe I'll try using more crumbs next time and see if that helps.

I made the full recipe, and so glad I did because now I have leftovers frozen for another quick meal in a couple weeks!

Thanks for sharing!

[HeatherN]

This was excellent. I made 1/2 the recipe (I love that feature on Zaar, btw!!) My grocery store always has boneless, skinless chicken thighs - but not today. I used chicken breast instead. I also used the turkey sausage to save on fat grams. It seemed awfully salty to me, but that could have been the breadcrumbs.

[GingerlyJ]

This really does taste like classic Cassoulet without the effort. it's a winwin all around