Chicken and Bean Casserole, an easier version of a French Chicken Cassoulet

A Chicken Casserole has always been a classic way to cook chicken pieces in a covered dish in the oven with vegetables, herbs and a delicious gravy or sauce, and yet so many people are nervous about making one. This recipe will convince you how easy it is to achieve a delicious and nutritious Chicken Casserole in your own kitchen but with a French influence. I couldn't in all conscience as an Aussie, call this a French Cassoulet, as there is no sausage, mutton or pork in it, but there are beans, chicken and lots of flavour, and it is much easier to cook. Casseroles are also a great way to stretch the budget. 

I started cooking this meal in the afternoon in preparation for our evening meal, and quite frankly I wasn't in the mood for cooking. I should have started it in the morning. I began adding the ingredients mechanically to the pot, however once I started cooking, and the aromatics began to steam out of the pot and permeate my senses, I was in, I was hooked, and I started enjoying the whole process of cooking. There were so many delicious flavours in the pot. 

I grew up eating tasty and nutritious Chicken casseroles on an almost weekly basis which my Mum was very good at cooking in the oven, and I thought of her when I was making this one, as there are actually some interesting similarities. She never added canned beans to hers though, only fresh beans, and always potatoes, celery and carrots. Mum also never browned off the chicken first, she just added all the ingredients into the casserole dish and let the oven do the work. She also doused the chicken in flour, to thicken the gravy. There's no flour required in this recipe.  Browning off the meat if you have the time definitely takes chicken, beef and lamb to the next level when making stews, casseroles and other oven baked meals.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

4 chicken drumsticks

4-5 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on

1 large onion, diced

2 celery sticks, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed (optional)

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp Les Herbes de Provence (mixed herbs)

12 button or other edible mushrooms

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp Tomato paste

400g can tomatoes

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp Dry English mustard powder

2 tsp Smoked paprika

2 Bay leaves

1 can Black Beans or White Cannellini Beans

150 ml low salt Chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon Sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly Ground Pepper

Chopped parsley, to serve

Method:

Serves 4

Preheat your oven to 200 deg. C/400 deg. F. 

Heat a large Casserole dish or Dutch oven, also suitable for the oven, with the olive oil and butter until slightly sizzling. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. I did this in 3 batches to ensure the chicken wasn't overcrowded. Browning the chicken properly is essential to the flavour of the dish. By this stage, there will be lots of lovely brown scrapings on the base of the casserole dish. Transfer each batch to a plate and set aside.

To the pot, add the onion, celery, garlic and rosemary and cook until aromatic for 10 minutes. Give it an occasional stir. Lower the heat. 

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, both mustards, tomato paste, paprika and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms.

Stir in the beans, then add the canned tomatoes, the chicken stock, and lightly season. 

Position the chicken pieces into the beans. All of the ingredients should now be added.

Transfer the pot to the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through after this time, however just pierce one of the legs and thighs with a skewer to check. If the juices run clear, your work is done. 

To serve, garnish with shopped parsley.

Cooks notes:

• This recipe can form the basis of a versatile and tasty chicken casserole, where you can switch some of the ingredients around depending on what you have on hand.
• Surprisingly there is no carrot in some of the traditional cassoulets. I didn't add it to this recipe, but next time I will. I am used to celery, onion and carrot in a casserole.
• Angie's original recipe used Black Beans so that's what I used, and whilst it was really delicious, I think I prefer white cannellini beans with a chicken casserole which is what I'm used to. However, it is optional.
• I added an extra chicken thigh as there is enough rich sauce to accommodate another one or even two more.
• I added French Mixed Herbs (Les Herbes de Provence) to this recipe, as my French daughter in law uses them in so many dishes that she cooks, even her savoury crepes. Any mixed herbs will work though. You can leave out the fresh rosemary if you don't have it, or use dried, and just use mixed herbs. I purchased Les Herbes de Provence when I was in Montpellier in  France recently, so they are the real deal.
• Please don't skimp on the butter or olive oil when browning your chicken, it is essential to the flavour.
• Large casserole dishes or Dutch ovens are very easy to acquire, and the very expensive ones aren't necessarily any better than the more affordable ones.

I featured this recipe in my latest In My Spring Kitchen in September, so regular readers of my blog will have read the following.  This is where I gave full credit to Angie from Angie's Recipes for the inspiration to make this recipe.

"One of the culinary highlights for me during the month, was this Easy Chicken Cassoulet that I cooked. I first saw this recipe on Angie's Recipes, an interactive food blog that I enjoy and follow. The lovely Angie lives in Europe, and not only does she present delicious food on her blog and instagram account, but she is an incredible food photographer. When I was in Montpellier in 2023, I went to a very typically French restaurant in old town Montpellier, called La Tomate, with Matthew and Hugo, son and grandson, and whilst we were eating some delicious French meals, I saw a Cassoulet delivered to a nearby table in a large earthenware pot, perhaps a traditional cassolle that it was cooked in, for the one diner at the table. I couldn't have eaten that much food, but the Mademoiselle did, and it was full of beans, sausage and meat and was very thick. This Chicken Cassoulet recipe is my easy and leaner version of the restaurant cassoulet and of Angie's recipe, and was absolutely delicious. Mr. HRK and I feasted on it for 3 dinners in a row, and then when there was still just some delicious gravy left, I added some vegetables and rice to it and we ate that with toast. None of it was wasted, and this dish will be on rotation in our kitchen, even throughout Summer. "

Photos below of Matthew, Hugo and I dining at La Tomate in Montpellier, France, in June 2023.

Matthew at the entrance to La Tomate

Matthew and me.

That's how the French serve their burgers. We had to help Hugo eat this.

Do you like soaking up the gravy in a casserole with some bread on the side? Yum, who doesn't.

Warm wishes

Pauline