Despite being wed to a chef, I am not a good cook. Therefore, when it’s my night to cook, I prepare a lot of food in my slow cooker. We both adore France and French cuisine, and this recipe for a cassoulet is quite easy to make and he loves it. Wonderful for dinner gatherings and chilly nights. For leftovers, double the recipe because it melds beautifully the next day.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 4 hrs 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 4 hrs 45 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 slices turkey bacon
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped
- ¼ pound fully-cooked smoked sausage, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 3 (15 ounce) cans great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and brown, turning often, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels; crumble when cool. Set bacon aside.
- Cook and stir onion in the same skillet until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, sausage, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and black pepper; cook until chicken pieces are browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.
- Transfer chicken mixture to a slow cooker and stir in crumbled turkey bacon, great Northern beans, and diced tomatoes. Cover the cooker, set on Low, and cook until cassoulet is thickened and the chicken is very tender, 4 to 5 hours. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 522 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 53 g |
| Cholesterol | 68 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 12 g |
| Protein | 36 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 641 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This is a very easy and delicious recipe; it tastes like a lot more work than it really is. I used regular thick-cut “pig” bacon (plus two extra slices) and mild chorizo because that’s what was in the fridge. I think the only difference it made was that there was really no need to add salt when serving. Cooking the chicken and vegetables in the bacon fat really adds an intense earthy flavor. I served it with a fresh baguette and butter. There were no complaints from the family. I’ll be making it again.
This really was yummy! I used 2 slices pork bacon, browned it and then cooked 3 T tomato paste in the fat and added mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery) cuz I can buy it at Safeway already chopped. Used herbes de provence instead of thyme, only 2 cans of beans and skipped the tomatoes. I also added about 1 1/2 C broth. I know that sounds like a lot of changes, but the recipe itself was the total basis for my thinking. I’m so glad I found it and I know I will make it again and again.
I made this recipe “near” exact. I used 1 less can of beans, and used pork bacon. The major difference is after browning the bone in, skin on chicken thighs, I placed them whole in the slow cooker, to get a bit more flavor into the pot. Excellent results, gown boys ensured I only had one serving. Will do again, and I’ll probably add that 3rd can back plus whatever veggie scraps I have hanging around.
I have made this recipe several times and the only thing I do differently is make in my Instant Pot so there is only one pan and all those brown bits are in the cassoulet. My husband loves it and asks for it about once a month. I add a little more smoked sausage but the recipe is awesome as is. Thanks for sharing!!
I loved the flavor! Been wanting to try a cassoulet for a long time. I found it to be dry, though, since the recipe has you draining the diced tomatoes. Next time I would include the juice. Very tasty, though, and great comfort food!
Easy and delicious is correct !! Made as written. My slow cooker has a loose fitting lid, so evaporation caused this too be a bit too thick at first — but easy to solve with addition of some beef broth…
This is a real winner. The only variation I made was to add about 1 cup of Merlot because I thought it needed more liquid. The small was to die for and the taste was even better.
Loved this recipe. Very easy and so very delicious. Suggest not draining the tomatoes and adding 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Even better the next day.
I substituted regular bacon for the turkey bacon.
I really liked the flavor of this and will make it again. I ended up adding about a cup of vegetable broth to it because it was a little too thick for my taste, but otherwise followed the recipe.
Made it pretty much note for note, although I love garlic so I added way more than three cloves. I also added a little chicken broth and white wine to add moisture. When I make this again I’ll probably use a little more bacon since it tasted a touch under-seasoned after adding the liquids. Good stuff, very hearty.
Served this to a large group (40). My favorite comment was, “I don’t normally like beans, but this was delicious! May I have the recipe?” Definitely a winner. I had to use dried beans- I live in a part of the world where canned beans are not available. I simply rinsed the dried beans 24 hours in advance, put them in the crock pot with hot water and cooked them on low overnight. Then I drained the water, and followed the rest of the directions as is, accept I did add some of the bean water back into the recipe. Great and easy!
Based on other recommendations, I increased the thyme to 2 tsp., included the juice from the tomatoes, and added 2 chopped carrots and 1 stalk chopped celery. Because I was short on time, I cooked it on high for 1 hour, then on low for 2 hours. The result was a really delicious and satisfying winter meal. My entire family loved it, including my DH, who tends to prefer spicy foods. I will definitely make this again.
This was one of the best dishes I’ve had in some time! I had to cook it (on low) a while longer than recommended (closer to 10 h), but it still came out great.
This was really good! It’s definitely comfort food and delicious! Followed instructions and was amazed with the outcome. Thank you! ETA: This has become a staple in our house. I’ve been putting all ingredients into the crockpot on low in the morning without precooking any of it, and returning home to a completely cooked, delicious meal. Everyone raves about this meal. Thanks again!
Easy to make and tasty. We used butter beans and i am going to try other beans next time.
This dish was a real hit! It is very hearty, earthy, textured and subtle undertones of flavor. Loved using the slower cooker given a busy life and cannot believe something this good can be made this way. Hurrah.
so easy and good. it did not last for left overs. it is all in the smoked sausage. thank you thank you thank you.
Made in my single serving slow cooker!
I make it with some recipe changes: use homemade gluten free chicken soup (3/4 cup organic chicken stock, 3/4 cup almond milk, 3 TBL gluten free cornstarch) and add 1 cup half-and-half cream. I love curry and also add turmeric and 1 tsp cayenne. Cut chicken into smaller chunks so cooking only lasts 45 minutes. This is my favorite chicken recipe with brown rice!
I doubled this recipe and the only changes that I made were using both thighs and breasts and cooking it in a dutch oven on the stove because my crockpots were loaned to a friend . However, it worked fine and it was delicious. All 10 adults who ate it raved about it and the grandchildren who tried it liked it as well. I had none left over which was a disappointment to me. I will surely be making this again.