Classic French Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet Recipe

By
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin is a lifestyle writer and recipe developer. Her expertise is in French cuisine, which she writes about and teaches.
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Updated on 03/8/22
Classic French Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet in a baking dish

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 4 hrs
Total: 4 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 12 servings

Cassoulet is a classic of the French country kitchen and most popular in the South West, particularly around Toulouse and Carcassone where it originates from.

In a traditional cassoulet, there are several types of meat used—usually duck, pork, and spicy sausage. This chicken and sausage cassoulet recipe is a modern update on the classic and evokes particularly complex and developed flavors by cooking certain ingredients separately, and then together. The result is an irresistible, hearty stew.

Do not be put off by the number of ingredients in this recipe; it all comes together if you follow step by step.

Serve the classic french chicken and sausage cassoulet with crusty French bread for a truly authentic experience. 

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried white beans, soaked and rinsed

  • 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

  • 1 pound bacon, cut into strips

  • 2 large white onions, diced

  • 1 pound pork sausage

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 pound chicken legs

  • 2 pounds tomatoes, seeded and chopped

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • 1 quart chicken stock

  • 1 bouquet garni

  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 2 carrots, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices

  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

  • 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Classic French Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet ingredients

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring the beans to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook them until they begin to turn tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

    Beans in a pot with water, on a burner

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper to the beans and cook until the liquid has absorbed, about 25 additional minutes.

    Beans in a pot on a burner

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  4. Remove the beans from the heat, drain and discard any other liquid, and set the beans aside.

    Beans in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  5. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the lardons for 5 minutes, until they turn brown. Transfer them to a plate.

    Lardons in a pan on a burner

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  6. Add the onions to the pan and sauté them for 10 minutes, until they turn light golden brown. Transfer them to the plate with the lardons.

    Onions in a pan on a burner, with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  7. Brown the sausage and transfer it to a bowl. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

    Sausages cooking in a pan on a burner

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  8. Drain all but 4 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Add the chicken breast pieces to the fat and brown them over medium-high heat. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the sausage.

    Chicken cooking in a pan on a burner

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  9. Brown the chicken legs in the skillet. Then transfer them to the bowl.

    Chicken cooking in a pan on a burner

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  10. Combine the lardons, onions, sausage, chicken pieces and legs, tomatoes, wine, chicken stock, bouquet garni, garlic, tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper in a large casserole dish.

    Casserole ingredients in a baking dish

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  11. Cover with a lid or foil and bake the casserole for 25 minutes.

    Baking dish wrapped with aluminum foil

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  12. Add the carrots to the pan, cover, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

    Carrots added to the casserole ingredients in the baking dish

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  13. Add the reserved white beans to the hot casserole and gently stir the mixture.

    Beans added to the casserole ingredients in the baking dish

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  14. In a small bowl, toss the breadcrumbs, parsley, and thyme with the melted butter. Sprinkle the seasoned breadcrumbs over the casserole.

    Casserole topped with breadcrumbs, parsley, and thyme in the baking dish

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  15. Bake it, uncovered, for 1 hour.

    Baked Classic French Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet in a baking dish

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  16. Discard the bouquet garni and serve the cassoulet hot.

    Classic French Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet in a baking dish

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
620 Calories
32g Fat
24g Carbs
54g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 620
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g 41%
Saturated Fat 11g 53%
Cholesterol 172mg 57%
Sodium 1372mg 60%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 54g
Vitamin C 13mg 65%
Calcium 91mg 7%
Iron 4mg 23%
Potassium 1150mg 24%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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