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).
How To Make Chicken Cassoulet
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.
Bacon first – Cook the bacon first, until golden. Then remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind in the pan.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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
FAQ – Chicken Cassoulet
No it’s not, but JB says he is sure that there are many French people making it at home because Cassoulet is such a famous dish, but not even French people consider duck confit something within reach on a Monday night!
Yes, you can use bone-in thighs, or chicken breast (though the latter won’t be as juicy as thighs). We’ve included directions in the recipe notes for both these.
Yes you can. Make the casserole ahead and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat slowly in the oven covered, until piping hot. then, sprinkle with the breadcrumb topping and grill until golden and crunchy.
I haven’t tried it and it would actually be quite a different recipe. So I can’t give advice on adapting it for a slow-cooker version. But, please if you try making it, let us know how you go! 😊
Watch How To Make It
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
JB’s Chicken Cassoulet (French Chicken & Bean Casserole)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 800g / 1.75lb boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets , ~6 pieces (Note 1)
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , divided (half for table salt, 50% extra for flakes)
- 1 tsp black pepper , divided
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 200g / 7oz streaky bacon , cut into 1cm / 0.4" pieces
- 2 brown onion , finely chopped
- 2 carrots , peeled, quartered lengthways, cut into 1 cm / 0.4" thick pieces
- 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 thyme sprigs (substitute 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
- 2 rosemary sprigs , ~10cm / 4" long (substitute 1 tsp dried rosemary)
- 2 fresh bay leaves , or dried
- 1/4 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine , (sub low-sodium chicken stock)
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock / broth , low-sodium (homemade if you want)
- 3 x 400g / 14oz cans cannellini beans , drained (or other beans)
- 12 cherry tomatoes
Topping
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs , substitute regular breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley , substitute 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , (half for table salt, 50% extra for flakes)
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
- Make cornflour slurry with 1/4 cup stock. Cook bacon, remove. Brown chicken but don't cook through, remove. Sauté garlic, onion and carrot, then cook tomato paste and herbs. Deglaze with wine, add beans, stock, cornflour slurry, bacon, salt and pepper. Top with chicken and cherry tomatoes, bake 20 min at 200°C/390°F (180°C fan). Sprinkle with topping, grill/broiler 2 – 3 min to brown. Serve!
FULL RECIPE
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan-forced).
- Slurry – Whisk the cornflour in a small bowl with 1/4 cup of the chicken stock until lump free. Set aside.
- Season chicken – Sprinkle both sides of the chicken using 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Cook bacon – Heat the oil in a shallow 30cm / 12" ovenproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. (Note 2 for baking dish) Cook the bacon until golden (about 4 minutes), then transfer into a small bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving all the fat in the pan.
- Brown chicken – Turn the heat up to high. Add more oil if the pan is looking dry (eg if you used lean bacon). Place the chicken into the pan, smooth side down and cook for 3 minutes until golden brown, flip then cook the other side for 1 minute. Remove onto a plate and set aside.
- Sauté aromatics – Add the onion, garlic and carrot and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the tomato paste, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Stir for 1 minute.
- Deglaze – Add the wine and simmer for 30 seconds, scraping the base of the dish.
- Add the rest of the stock, cornflour slurry (give it a quick stir to redistribute the cornflour), beans, cooked bacon and remaining salt and pepper. Stir until combined, place the chicken on top (pour over any juices pooled on the plate), smooth side up. Press the chicken down slightly. Scatter over the cherry tomatoes.
- Bake – Bring it to a simmer, then place into the oven for 20 minutes, uncovered.
- Topping – While the chicken is cooking, mix the topping ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Brown topping – Turn the oven grill/broiler on to 240°C / 460°F (220°C fan-forced). Pull the dish out and sprinkle the panko topping on top, avoiding the chicken and tomatoes. Place the dish back into the oven (15cm / 6" away from the grill) and leave for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the surface to brown.
- Serve – Remove from the oven and serve hot!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life Of Jaffle
He really wants to do a face plant in that!!! 🤣
Another winner!
Defrosted what I thought were thigh fillets but turned out to be ‘lovely legs’ (trimmed, skinless legs). Baked for 40 min as suggested for bone in thighs. Didn’t have wine so ended up using a total 2C of stock. Sooooo tasty, I reckon you could make it without the chicken and still have a tasty and satisfying meal.
I’m intrigued by another poster’s use of fish instead of chook …
Thank you Kathryn and great job on adapting the cook time to your needs!
Winner, winner Chicken Cassoulet dinner! This was amazing, JB! Thank you and Nagi for sharing so many tried and true recipes!
You are so welcome Dora!! Thank you!
Made this tonight for dinner, just two of us, but used five bone in chicken thighs. Followed the directions with the exception of cooking the chicken a little bit longer. The aromatics made the entire house smell wonderful.
This is just delicious and will be made again maybe for the family.
Thank you very much Carol!
JB this was really excellent. The flavor was nice and deep and balanced. I had all the ingredients in my pantry. I will be making this again. Bravo!
Sounds like a winner Joe!! Thank you!
“Superb” said the hubby!
I substituted fish ( no rosemary, no pre cooking), hope that’s not a French faux pas!
Thanks Onya!
Thank you for this recipe. It proved to be the redemption I was yearning after a disastrous cassoulet I made several years ago that involved sourcing Talouse Sausages, pork belly, confit duck, soaking beans and 2 days of time that I will never get back (because the recipe suggested pausing the cook to give the flavours time to develop). Not to mention, it was all pretty expensive. My husband’s comment at the time “well that wasn’t worth the effort”, despite him putting in no effort at all. It ended up in the bin.
This time ‘round however he went back for seconds. Yayyyy. It also took me 2 hours rather than 2 days and the dish count was far less. I made the whole quantity of beans etc for 5 serves but only used enough chicken for 2. I will freeze what I have left and use it as a side for some grilled chicken or steak in the future.
Tasty, cheap, minimal effort and good enough for seconds and freezing the remainder!. I’d call that a success!
Hi Daneille, I love that your husband went back for seconds this time! Traditional cassoulet is definitely a labour of love, so I’m thrilled this simpler version delivered. 🙂
Great recipe. How do I add this to MyRecipeTin?
Hi Peter, just click on the love heart on the right side of the page. 🙂
Thank you! Love your work JB!
My usual saying is “in Nagi, we trust” as no matter what I make of hers, it’s a triumph.
It seems it’s also “in JB, we trust”
This was brilliant and so easy to follow, thank you!
Haha, that is such a nice compliment! Don’t forget “In Jaffle, we trust” too!
Super delicious! Put only a little bacon but it had a great, smokey flavour. Because of time constraints I cooked it on the stovetop with the lid off for the last few minutes to reduce the sauce a bit and it was perfect. Thanks for another culinary success!
Thank you Sylvia for this great report! I’m glad you loved it 🙂
This was delicious! The chicken was so tender. When I make again I would reduce the salt slightly. This would also be good replacing the chicken for sausages- sausage cassoulet! Thank you 😊
I actually added sausage to this and it was fabulous. Everything else the same.
Thank you Caroline! Great idea, and we already have a similar recipe in Nagi’s cookbook “Dinner”. 🙂
Is the chicken boneless and skinless?
Hi Carol, yes it is.
Forgot to leave a rating with my comment, this is a keeper and full 5 stars!
This is a good one! I was a bit hesitant when I saw the amount of beans in it but it was wonderful and the whole family loved it!
Followed the recipe except the type of beans which was a mix of butter beans and other mild beans
Perfect! Thank you for the wonderful feedback Halldóra!
Yet another winner JB! Made tonight – flavour was sensational!
I am so looking forward to trying this recipe. Nagi and JB, would you consider giving amounts for things like diced vegetables in volume or mass measurements like cups or grams. Two carrots, depending on where a person is in the world, can vary greatly in size. It would be so much more convenient to prepare, say, one cup of diced carrots. That way, everyone tastes the recipe as you intended it!
Hi Deb, thanks for the suggestion! We always write our recipes assuming medium-sized vegetables are being used. Of course, sizes can vary, but we also encourage readers to use their own judgement. A little more or less carrot won’t make a noticeable difference to the final flavour of a dish like this cassoulet. Hope you enjoy it!
So good to hear Peter!! Thank you ♥️
JB – 👌👌
Made this tonight for family dinner and we were delighted by how tasty it is. Legend 😁
Thanks Peta! That’s amazing to hear!!
Can’t wait to try this and I know it’ll be good 😋 I don’t buy streaky bacon but always have lardons would they work the same ?
Hi Carole, yes lardons would work too for this recipe.
Did you get another Golden?
Loved the recipe, the dog too
That’s Jaffle! He’s been with us for a few months now, we love him so much!
Hi Nagi, Thanks for all your lovely recipes,infact, you’re the only chef I follow.
Love you dog photos as well
Kind Regards Mark
Thank you for your kind words Mark! 🙂
Made this recipe for dinner, and it was excellent! Thanks, JB!
You are so welcome Barb! Thank you!
That pic of Jaffle gazing into the pot of cassoulet would be a PERFECT book cover for your next book!!
I think you are right Cherylynn!!!