Chicken Sausage Cassoulet is a delicious take on a traditional cassoulet. The long cooking time and combination of rich spices, aromatic herbs and hearty ingredients, make this recipe a comfort food, perfect for cooler months. 
In almost every situation — be it a movie, a quick coffee, or a party — I don’t like to exclude anyone who might want to join in.
So, if you’re a meat eater, I certainly hope you didn’t think for a moment that I’d leave you out of our cassoulet indulgence!
Sure, the Vegetarian Cassoulet Recipe we made yesterday was incredible (there I go tooting my own horn again – sometimes I just can’t help myself), but for my friends out there who enjoy anything reminiscent of bacon, this one’s for you, and it, too, is amazing!
Of course, I have no idea what your weekend plans are, but I hope they involve cannelloni beans!
(How funny does that sound?!)
Enjoy every last bite!
The long cooking time and combination of rich spices, aromatic herbs and hearty ingredients, make this recipe a comfort food, perfect for cooler months.
- 1/2 pound pancetta, cut into (approximately) 1/4 inch dice
- 5 spicy Italian sausages, cut into about 1/2-inch slices
- 5 chicken legs, skin removed
- 2 1/2 cups yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
- 2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/4 cups green olives, roughly chopped (I love Castelvetrano Olives)
- 1 1/4 cup canned peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 4 1/4 cups cooked cannellini beans
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
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Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
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Add the pancetta to a large stockpot or Dutch oven and put it on the stove over low heat. Render the pancetta for about 10 minutes. (Rendering the pancetta slowly melts it, releasing all the fat and making the meat crisp.)
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Turn the heat up to medium-low and add the sausage to the pot. Cook until it begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Then, moving the pancetta and bacon around the pot to make a bit of space, add the chicken legs and sear them in the pancetta and sausage fat and juices. Once they are becoming brown on all sides, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and cook until the meat is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
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Use a slotted spoon to remove all of the meat from the pot and add it to a large plate, leaving behind the fat.
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Over medium-high heat, add the onions. Stirring every few minutes or so, cook the onions until they are very tender and are beginning to become brown, about 15 minutes. Add the roasted garlic and stir to blend.
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While the onions are cooking, remove the chicken meat from the bones and break it into bite-sized pieces.
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Add the thyme and paprika to the pot and cook for a couple minutes, until it’s very aromatic.
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Add the olives, return all of the meat to the pot, and stir to combine. Then deglaze the pot with the tomatoes, wine and stock. Use a flat-bottomed wooden spatula to scrape any stuck bits of food from the bottom of the pot, back into the mixture.
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Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer to reduce the liquid by one third. This should take about 30 minutes.
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Fold in the cooked cannellini beans and season generously with salt and pepper.
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Pour the mixture into a baking dish (approximately 9 X 13 X 2-1/2-inch baking dish‚ something like Emile Henry stoneware is perfect.)
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Add the rosemary to the breadcrumbs and sprinkle the mixture evenly on top of the cassoulet. Drizzle the entire thing with olive oil and then bake, covered, in the preheated oven, covered with foil for 2 hours. Then uncover and place under the broiler to brown the top, about 1 minute.
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Let it rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.
I love this served in individual round baking dishes. It's adorable and somehow feels extra comforting this way! I use 4-1/2-inch round stoneware dishes (see above images).
Yes, you can buy cooked cannellini beans, but making them is fantastic (and more delicious)!
Gluten-free? Easy — use gluten-free bread crumbs! I make mine with the ends of our gluten-free bread. (Toast in the oven, let it cool, then use a food processor to blend.)
Timeline:
Up to 4 days and at least 1 day ahead: Cook the beans.
Up to 1 week and at least 1 day ahead: Roast the garlic.
4 hours ahead: Begin prepping and cooking the ingredients for the cassoulet.
2-1/2 hours ahead: Bake the cassoulet!‚
This entire dish can be made 1 day ahead. (Once it comes to room temperature, cover it tightly and keep it refrigerated. To get ready to serve, bring it back to room temperature, and then reheat it in a 300 degree F oven until it’s hot all the way through, about 20 minutes.)
Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen says
January 27, 2012 at 11:32 pmHoly cow this sounds delish… yum!
sandy miller says
January 28, 2012 at 12:15 amValentina,
This looks sooo good, can’t wait to try it. I am going to make your beans from scratch too, a first for me.
Love your blog,
Sandy
valentina says
January 28, 2012 at 1:11 amThank you, Sandy! I think you’ll love it! xo
Jill Mant~a SaucyCook says
January 28, 2012 at 5:48 amThis sounds so yummy and I love that it will serve a crowd and can be made in advance.
valentina says
January 28, 2012 at 6:27 amThanks, Jill! 🙂
sandy miller says
February 2, 2012 at 2:58 pmDear Valentina,
Made the Cassoulet last night. I didn’t have any pancetta or Italian sausage, so I used bacon and Keilbasa, it was outstanding….lots of work, but worth every minute.
Thanks for sharing.
Sandy
valentina says
February 2, 2012 at 11:30 pmSandy, I’m so happy you made this! And happier it was worth it! 🙂
stacey snacks says
January 3, 2014 at 8:18 pmI used boneless chicken thighs, and tweaked it a bit, but very close to your recipe.
Looks and smells delicious!
About another hour in the oven to go!
Thank you for the recipe!
Stacey Snacks
valentina says
January 5, 2014 at 11:55 pmHi Stacey! Thanks so much for your comment — hope it tasted as delicious as it looked and smelled! 🙂