Chicken Cassoulet – French Chicken & Bean Casserole

If you’ve ever wondered what the French actually make at home, this Chicken Cassoulet is just the sort of thing! It is JB‘s easy take on classic French cassoulet, swapping duck confit and Toulouse sausages for chicken, and dried beans for canned. Gorgeously cosy, rustic, and hearty. I’m completely besotted!

JB’s Chicken Cassoulet

I know this might shock you, but believe it or not, the French aren’t whipping up Beef Bourguignon, Coq au Vin and fancy soufflés every night of the week! Just like us, they want delicious dinners that don’t take hours to make. And today’s Chicken Cassoulet is just the sort of thing JB tells me French families actually cook at home on Monday nights.

Inspired by the French classic cassoulet, JB has traded the duck confit and Toulouse sausages for chicken and bacon, and skipped the overnight bean soaking in favour of canned beans. But he’s kept all the things that make cassoulet so wonderful – tender meat, creamy beans, the crunchy topping (LOVE THIS!) and a beautiful tomato-based sauce that rich with wine and herbs.

Plus, he gets bonus points for making it a complete meal – protein, starch and a surprising amount of vegetables (tomato, onion and carrots!).

Ingredients In JB’s Chicken Cassoulet

Here’s what you need to make this chicken and bean casserole.

1. The chicken and bacon

• Boneless chicken thighs – Using boneless chicken thighs makes the baking time so quick (just 20 minutes), putting this within reach midweek. To use chicken breast, you’ll need to cook it through on the stove, then bake the beans without the chicken (else it will overcook), then pop it back on just at the end for the grilling/broiling part.

• Bacon – It’s best to use streaky bacon as the dish relies on the fat from the bacon to cook the chicken. Extra flavour! If you use lean bacon, you might need to add a bit of extra oil to brown the chicken.

2. FOR THE CASSOULET

• Cannellini beans – Traditional cassoulet is made with dried Tarbais or Lingot beans which are slow cooked with the meat. For this easy version, JB uses canned cannellini beans. Much faster to just crack open cans than soaking overnight and slow cooking! 🙂 Feel free to use other beans, like kidney beans, butter beans or navy beans, though white beans are more traditional.

• Cherry tomatoes – JB wants me to tell everyone, tomato isn’t strictly traditional but it’s a modern variation. He likes how they soften and burst as the casserole cooks, releasing their sweet juices into the sauce. They also add lovely little pops of freshness that balance the richness of the dish. I like how they had bright pops of colourful red into an otherwise rather brown dish!

• Onions – Just regular brown onions, finely chopped.

• Carrots – Medium or large ones, we peel, cut into quarters lengthways then into small pieces.

• Garlic – 3 big cloves, finely minced with a knife. Actually, you could use a garlic crusher here.

• Herbs – rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. The sauce of Cassoulet is perfumed with herbs and it is what makes it so delicious! So really try to use fresh if you can (all 3 are very hardy, hard-to-kill plants – if I can grow them, anyone can!). But in case you don’t have fresh herbs, we’ve included dried herb amounts too.

• Chardonnay or other white wine – The French love to cook with wine, because they know it brings a wonderful depth of flavour to sauces, and that’s the role it plays in this Cassoulet. Chardonnay is JB’s favourite to cook with because it adds more flavour – he thinks sauvignon blanc is boring (😂) – but really, you can use any dry white wine. No need to use an expensive one either. I stock up on heavily discounted bottles around $5 that I use exclusively for cooking.

• Cornflour / cornstarch – Thickens the sauce slightly. Traditional cassoulet cooks for hours, allowing the sauce to thicken naturally. This quicker version needs a little help, otherwise the sauce is watery.

• Chicken stock – The liquid for the sauce. Use low sodium if you can, if not, skip the salt in the sauce.

3. CRUNCHY TOPPING

The crunchy topping is a signature part of Cassoulet! Here’s what you need:

• Panko breadcrumbs – larger than regular breadcrumbs, for extra crunch. Find it in the Asian aisle of regular grocery stores, or cheaper in Asian stores.

• Olive oil – To mix through which makes the crunchy topping brown beautifully.

• Parsley – For lovely little green bits in the topping. I used chives as a substitute (because I have a thriving bunch in my garden whereas my parsley has been decimated).

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How To Make Chicken Cassoulet

1. Cornflour slurry – Make a cornflour slurry by mixing the cornflour / cornstarch with a splash of the chicken stock. This will thicken the sauce slightly so it clings to the beans.

2. Bacon first – Cook the bacon first, until golden. Then remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind in the pan.

3. Brown chicken – Next, we brown the chicken. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper, then brown the first side in the bacon fat for 3 minutes. Then flip and cook the other side for just 1 minute. We don’t want to cook it through, as it will finish cooking on the beans.

4. Sauté – Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes until the onion has softened, then cook the tomato paste and herbs for 1 minute. Don’t skip this step of cooking off the tomato paste, it cooks out the sour edge and deepens the flavour.

5. Beans – Add the wine and let it reduce for 30 seconds. Add the beans, chicken stock, cornflour slurry, bacon, salt and pepper. Give it a stir, then place the chicken and cherry tomatoes across the top.

6. Bake for 20 minutes at 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan-forced). Then take it out of the oven and flick to the oven grill/broiler to 240°C / 460°F (220°C fan-forced).

7. Crunchy topping – Sprinkle the beans with the crunchy topping (avoid the chicken and tomatoes, for visual effect). Then pop it under the oven grill / broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until browned.

8. Serve – Then that’s it! Ready to serve. Spoon the beans into bowls and top with chicken!

How To Serve Chicken Cassoulet

As mentioned earlier, this is a complete meal with vegetables, starch and protein so there’s no need to add sides to fill it out. If you’re wondering – what veggies? Well, there’s two onions (yes, it counts towards your veg daily intake!), two carrots and cherry tomatoes which averages out to be a reasonable amount per person, assuming 5 servings.

Finish with a slice of JB’s French Apple Cake, lightly warmed, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. What a meal! – Nagi x

Watch How To Make It

Life Of Jaffle

He really wants to do a face plant in that!!! 🤣