Generally, very rich meats like goose or duck are used as the main ingredient with additions of pork sausage and bacon to give flavor to the white beans. I decided to lighten my dish up by using chicken thighs and chicken andouille sausage. I do think that a bit of bacon would have been an excellent addition lending some of the smokey flavor that bacon is famous for to the dish. I also strayed from the original by using a mixture of red kidney beans and white cannellini beans which was more a decision based on my pantry supplies than tastes. I also didn't have any onions in my house...but I added some shallots to compensate.
Click through for the recipe!
Cassoulet
2 links andouille chicken sausages (I used trader joe's brand) - diced
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 15 oz can canellini beans - drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
1 28 oz can san marzano whole tomatos - crushed
1/2 c celery- diced
1/2 c carrots - diced
1/2 c green bell pepper - diced
2 c mushrooms - sliced
3 large cloves of garlic - minced
1 shallot - minced
2 tbsp fresh basil
4 tbsp dried italian herbs
salt & pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1) Cover the chicken with italian seasoning and salt & pepper.
2) In a cast iron dutch oven heat the oil
3) Add the chicken thighs and allow to brown - flip after about 5 min
4) Move chicken to the side and add the sausage - allow to brown
5) Add the garlic, shallots, peppers, carrots and celery - saute till softened
6) Add the beans, tomato, mushrooms and half of the fresh basil - cover and place in 350F oven for at least 1 hour (2 hours would be better)
