Whole Chicken French Cassoulet

Published on February 22, 2024 in • Mains

A recipe for my take on a French dish, Cassoulet.

Cassoulet originates in Southwest France as a budget friendly meal dating back to medieval times.

Traditionally it is made with white beans, various sausages and preserved meats.

In this recipe a variety of meats and vegetables, Cannelini beans, a sauce and herbs and spices come together in a cast iron pot in the oven.

The meats used are bacon, pork sausage and a whole chicken without giblets, cut into pieces.

For a guide on cutting up a whole chicken, see here. The backbone is not used and discarded.

All the meats are first seared seperately in the pot, putting them aside after being seared each time.

This is done separately while keeping all the fats, for added substance and flavour.

Onion, carrot and celery are the vegetables used and are also partially cooked on the stove.

Cannellini beans are part of a sauce consisting of tomato paste, white wine, chicken stock, as well as Herbes De Provence.

Herbes De Provence is a mixture of dried herbs and spices that can be found in specialty spice stores.

The pot is layered, starting with the partially cooked vegetables.

Seared bacon, sausage and chicken are layered on top of the vegetables.

The sauce mixed with cannellini beans and Herbes De Provence are added on top in the pot.

Finally the pot is topped with bay leaves and it’s put in the oven at 170°C for 1 hour 15 minutes, then served.

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A recipe for my take on a French dish, Cassoulet.

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Preheat oven to 170°C. Meanwhile, heat oil in a cast iron pot on a stove over a medium heat and then add bacon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside, leaving the fats in the pot.
Add the sausage to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, then once again removing and setting aside, while leaving the fats in the pot.
Prepare the whole chicken by cutting it up into 11 pieces, discarding the backbone, leaving you with 10 pieces.
Sear the chicken pieces in 2 batches in the pot, searing them for 6 minutes each batch while stirring often, then set the chicken aside.
Cook onion, celery and carrots in the pot for 10 minutes, stirring often, then turn the heat off.
Layer the now seared bacon on top of the vegetables, then add the sausages on top and then top with chicken.
Put Cannelini beans, tomato paste, white wine, chicken stock and Herbes De Provence in a bowl and mix, then add as a top layer in the pot.
Finally add the bay leaves on top of the pot and put it in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then serve.