Ginger's Home Cooking: Chicken Cassoulet

Ingredients:

7 chicken thighs or equivalent combination of thighs & drumsticks

450 ml of good quality beef stock

2 Tbsp. of thick smokey barbecue sauce
A few dashes Mesquite or Hickory Liquid Smoke (can be left out if you can't get it where you live)

15-20 raw fresh button mushrooms

Half a large onion

1 can of Pinto or Borlotti beans or Black-eyed peas

2 ½ tsp. of Paprika

1 tsp. of garlic granules or garlic salt

1 tsp. of onion granules or onion salt

1 tsp. of cumin

½ tsp. of ground coriander

2 ½ tsp. of dried mixed herbs

2 ½ - 3 tsp. of olive oil

Dash ground black pepper

Fresh Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese

I created this dish a few years ago with ingredients I needed to use up. My husband & 7 year old son absolutely love it. The chicken slips right off the bone, so it’s easy even for a young child to eat. I very often make it when we’re having guests for dinner as it’s wholesome, rustic, filling, goes a long way & never fails to impress. I’ve called it a Cassoulet as it has many similarities to a traditional French Cassoulet, which is a rustic peasant dish that contains meat, beans, mushrooms, etc. There are some differences, but this is my take on it. Many people have asked me for the recipe after tasting it, so here goes.

Method:

Slice half an onion into chunky short sliver-like pieces & place in a large deep baking dish. I use a 9x12 enamel roasting dish. With the onions, place 15 to 20 thickly sliced mushrooms. Next, pour over 1 can of Pinto beans, Borlotti beans or Black-eyed peas with their juices. (I have also used chick peas or butter beans when I didn’t have any of the above. They work well too, but I feel those 3 work best.) Place chicken thighs on top of this mixture. Next, you’ll need a small ramekin to mix your spice rub in. Mix together the Paprika, garlic salt, onion salt, dried mixed herbs, cumin, coriander, black pepper & olive oil until you have an oily runny drizzle. It won’t look like much, but it goes a long way. Spoon a dollop of this mixture on top of each chicken thigh (skin side up) & massage in by hand. Cover with cling film & put in the fridge for an hour or 2, or even all day, so the flavours of the rub & the onions, etc under the chicken have a chance to soak in.

Next, remove cling film & lift the chicken back off of the vegetables & beans with tongs. Remove any stray bits that have stuck to the chicken & put back in the pan. In a non-stick pan, sear chicken skin side down for a couple of minutes, then turn over & sear the other side for a minute or 2. This helps to seal the meat & crisp the skin a little so it’s not too soggy. Transfer the chicken back on top of the vegetables & beans. To 450 ml (a little under a pint) of good rich beef stock, add 2 tablespoons of your chosen barbecue sauce & the Liquid Smoke if you have it. Tangy barbecue sauces do not work well with this. Rich smokey ones work best & the thicker, the better! When this is well mixed in, pour the stock mixture over the chicken dish & cook uncovered in the oven at 190 Celsius (375F) for approximately 1 hour. Like most of my meals, this dish feeds 3 of us for 2 nights or us plus a guest or 2 for 1 night. I serve it with homemade yellow rice (rice made with chicken stock & Turmeric), bread rolls & steamed French beans. I like to garnish with shaved or grated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese. The flavour combination is perfect. (On this occasion, I forgot to buy the fresh green beans, so we served it with sweetcorn.)