Cassoulet Style Chicken Thighs Recipes

EASY AND DELICIOUS SLOW COOKER CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and brown, turning often, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels; crumble when cool. Set bacon aside.
• Cook and stir onion in the same skillet until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, sausage, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and black pepper; cook until chicken pieces are browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.
• Transfer chicken mixture to a slow cooker and stir in crumbled turkey bacon, great Northern beans, and diced tomatoes. Cover the cooker, set on Low, and cook until cassoulet is thickened and the chicken is very tender, 4 to 5 hours. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

CHEF JOHN'S QUICK CASSOULET

Steps:

• Add bacon to a large, cold oven-ready skillet. Place over medium heat and cook for 10-12 minutes, until almost crisp. Transfer to a bowl, reserving the grease in the pan.
• Stir in sausage slices; cook 3-4 minutes. Add chicken thigh pieces; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until browned. Remove meat to the plate with bacon. Discard all the oil, but don't wipe out the pan.
• Add chopped onion and turn the heat to medium-low; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add 1 cup of chicken stock.
• Mash about 1/4 of the beans in a small bowl, stir all the beans into the pan.
• Stir in cayenne, rosemary and thyme. Add reserved meat back to the pan. Stir in remaining cup of stock or more if needed to cover. Return to simmer.
• Mix bread crumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano and melted butter together in a small bowl.
• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 7 inches from the heat source.
• Sprinkle the cassoulet with half the bread crumb mixture. Place under the broiler and cook about 5 minutes, until browned.
• Remove the pan and push bread crumbs down into the cassoulet. Top with remaining bread crumb mixture. Return to oven and continue broiling 5 more minutes, until browned.
• Turn off the broiler and leave in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes. Enjoy.

SAUSAGE AND CHICKEN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove from skillet; drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.
• Add chicken to skillet; cook over medium-high heat about 4 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Stir in carrots, onion, thyme, salt and pepper; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken and vegetables are browned. Drain well. Remove chicken from skillet.
• In ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, mix sausage, beans, tomatoes, bacon, carrots and onion. Top with chicken thighs; cover with foil.
• Bake about 45 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (180°F) and vegetables are tender.

CHICKEN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat 1 T olive oil in a large skillet with an ovenproof handle, over high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to med-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste and add it to the skillet, skin side down; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Turn the chicken and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the onion (about 1 C). Finely chop the rosemary (about 1 1/2 t) and the thyme (about 1 1/2 t). Combine the rosemary and thyme in a bowl. Press the garlic (about 1 T plus 1 t) into the bowl. Rinse and drain the beans then mash 1 C of the beans into a separate small bowl with a fork.Set the rest of the whole beans aside. Cut the kielbasa in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
• Remove the chicken to a plate and drain off all but 1 T of the fat from the skillet. Reduce heat to med-low and add the onions and cook for 5 minutes or until it has softened. Add the herb and garlic mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Add the red wine and simmer over low heat until it has reduced by half.
• Return the chicken to the skillet along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Add the kielbasa, chicken stock, both the mashed beans and the whole beans and the mustard. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chicken has just cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, preheat the broiler.
• Toss the bread crumbs with the remaining 1 T olive oil. Remove the lid from the skillet and season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top. Put the skillet under the broiler, about 4 inches from the heat source, and broil for 45 to 60 seconds, or until the crumbs are golden. When you serve the cassoulet, sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs over each serving.

WEEKDAY CASSOULET

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.

CONFIT CHICKEN THIGH AND ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE CASSOULET

Steps:

• For the chicken confit:
• Preheat oven to 225°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in a small Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Arrange garlic, shallots, thyme, bay leaves, and juniper berries around chicken; drizzle oil over. Bring to a very low simmer over medium-low heat, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until meat is very tender, 2-2 1/2 hours. Let cool in oil (preferably overnight).
• For the cassoulet:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1/3 cup oil from chicken confit in a large skillet over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 10-12 minutes. Squeeze garlic cloves from chicken confit from their skins into skillet and add tomatoes, crushing with your hands. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add beans and their cooking liquid. Skim off remaining fat from chicken confit and pour juices (about 1/2 cup) into skillet (reheat fat in pot just enough to loosen juices underneath if needed). Bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer bean mixture to a 2-2 1/2-qt. baking dish. Nestle chicken into beans, leaving as much skin exposed as possible, then tuck sausage and shallots from confit chicken around. Cook until chicken skin is very crisp and cassoulet is nicely browned, about 2 hours.
• Pulse bread in a blender or food processor to medium-fine crumbs. Toss crumbs in a small bowl with 1 Tbsp. oil from confit chicken (use remaining oil for sautéeing vegetables); season lightly with salt. Top cassoulet with breadcrumbs and cook until they are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
• Do Ahead
• Chicken can be cooked 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

SAUSAGE AND CHICKEN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Start by studding the onion with the cloves. Combine the beans, carrot chunks, garlic, onion with cloves, smoked ham hock and bouquet garni in a large pot or stockpot. Add the water and mix well. Heat over high heat until boiling and then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour to 1.5 hours OR until the beans are almost al dente.
• When the beans are done, drain, reserving the water and getting rid of the veggies, ham hock and bouquet garni.
• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• While the beans are cooking, in a large casserole pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a plate and reserve. Then, working in batches, brown the sausage and the chicken, about 2-3 minutes per side. You can add olive oil as needed. Remove the cooked chicken and sausage to the plate with the bacon.
• Add a few tablespoons of olive oil, if needed, and sauté the onion and garlic, over medium heat, until fragrant and translucent. Add the drained beans, reserved bacon, chopped tomatoes and white wine and cook until the wine reduces slightly. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper.
• Ladle the bean broth into the casserole dish and add the meat and chicken, distributing evenly. The meat and beans should level with the liquid. If you have too much liquid, just remove some.
• If you want to add the breadcrumb topping, combine breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Spread the topping evenly over the cassoulet and bake, uncovered, until bubbling and golden, about 1 hour.
• Serve immediately

CASSOULET-STYLE CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Put 1/2 cup beans in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the remaining beans and set aside.
• Toss breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook until browned, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
• Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme and pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, increase heat to high and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits, until the wine has reduced by about half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth, water, kielbasa, the reserved beans and chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Top with the toasted breadcrumbs and parsley.
• Tip: To make fresh breadcrumbs: Trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor into coarse crumbs. One slice of bread makes about 1/3 cup crumbs.