I’ve been making this easy slow cooker cassoulet for more than 10 years, so I guess that makes it a staple in our house. And since that house includes four people that like meat, meat, and more meat, a dish with two types of meat is a no-brainer.
Of course, this is a very streamlined cassoulet compared to the traditional French dish (which has more steps and even more meat…). Maybe I should call it “Harried American Cassoulet.” I have occasionally transferred this to a shallow baking pan, added a crumb topping like the French version and baked it for 30 to 45 minutes when I want a more authentic flavor. But only very occasionally because I like the ease of the slow cooker and it tastes wonderful straight from the pot, too.
Chop a couple of carrots and an onion and add them to the slow cooker. Add a couple cloves of minced garlic.
Next, layer about 4 cups of cooked white beans (I used the beans I keep in the freezer, but you could use freshly cooked or canned beans).
Add white wine and chicken broth (or water, or all broth) and some salt and pepper. Ah..you can see I cheated and used some red beans when I didn’t have enough white ones in the freezer. C’est la vie.
Top with skinned chicken pieces (I don’t care for slow-cooked chicken skin, if it doesn’t bother you, feel free to leave it on!). I use whatever I have- a whole chicken cut up, 6 to 8 legs or thighs, or 3 to 4 chicken breasts, cut in half. Then place fully-cooked sausage (cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces) among the chicken and sprinkle the top with fresh parsley.
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, until chicken is tender.
See? Pretty easy- just what this harried American needs.
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Slow Cooker Cassoulet
- 1 c. chopped carrots (about 2 large)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 c. white beans, cooked (about 2 cans)
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/2 t. pepper
- 1/4 c. dry white wine (or broth)
- 1/2 c. chicken broth (or water)
- 2-3 lbs. chicken pieces, skinned
- 1-2 lbs. fully cooked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
- chopped, fresh parsley
- Place the carrot, onion, and garlic in the bowl of the slow cooker.
- Top with the beans. Add the salt, pepper, and pour the wine and broth over all.
- Arrange the chicken in the beans, pushing some into the beans. Nestle the sausage amongst the chicken and sprinkle with some chopped parsley.
- Cover and cook on Low for 6-7 hours or on High for 4-5 hours, until the chicken is tender.
- Garnish with more chopped parsley before serving.
Serves 6 to 8 (depending on the number of chicken pieces)
This is linked to:
Recipe Swap @ Prairie Story
Everything But the Kitchen Sink
Pennywise Platter Thursday
It’s a Hodgepodge Friday
This looks like a great dish for a cold winter night, perfect for the weather we’ve been having. I think I will add it to next week’s menu. I’m wondering if some herbs would be a good addition to the ingredient list, maybe some tyme? I’ll be having fun with it for sure. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Mary
Jami,
This is my kind of meal! i am going to make this tomorrow. How did you like using the stir fry kits? Did it work for you?
Kristin
Yum,love beans and meat together. This will be fun, thanks.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It looks like a nice comforting meal on a cold winter night!!