Mock French Cassoulet

This is always a big hit at our house and I usually don't have leftovers. It doesn't photograph like a star but it is one at our house. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

Have you ever tried a recipe, really loved it and then....promptly lost it? I sure hope I'm not the only one that ever does this.

I originally made a dish similar to this over 15 years ago. We really liked it but the original recipe disappeared. Recipe thief? Since we enjoyed it so much I searched for a copy of the original or a similar one but never found what I was looking for.

This recipe is what finally came about as I played around over the years; I could remember some of the ingredient but no quantities. I tweaked, added and adjusted till I came up with my own version. It was never written down, it always just hung out in the back of my mind. Scary huh? I finally wrote it down so I could share it with you.

This recipe originally started out as a quick version of a French cassoulet. This dish is my speedy rendition of a long lost French cassoulet recipe. The original cassoulets involved a long cooking time, beans and quite a few varieties of meats; this is the busy cook version. I only using 2 varieties of meat and neither one of those are totally true to the original.

There are many recipes for cassoulets and some do contain tomatoes; I have totally crossed the line away from authentic but not from taste. This dish combines the proteins of beans and allows a smaller amount of meat to be used which also makes this a budget friendly dish.We're going to speed up cassoulet cooking; and that's why I call it a mock cassoulet.

This dish is a great change of pace from the usual pasta dish. It's got a sweet/tart taste that is a pleasing contrast with the mild taste of the beans. I hope you enjoy.

Mock French Cassoulet

1 - 12 oz package of bacon, cooked and diced; reserve 2 T of drippings

1 lb of chicken breast, cut into 1" chunks

1 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon dried Thyme or 1 T fresh

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 - 14.5 oz cans petite diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or several fresh cloves, minced

1 bay leaf (optional)

2 - 14.5 oz cans of cannellini or great northern beans

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the 2 teaspoons of reserved bacon drippings. Put in the diced chicken and onion in the skillet and cook until the chicken is almost cooked through; stirring frequently. If using fresh garlic add it when chicken is halfway done.

While chicken is cooking put the white beans in a sauce pan to heat through.

When chicken is almost done add all of the remaining ingredients to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer till reduced to sauce consistency; about 20-30 minutes. When desired consistency is reached, remove the bay leaf and stir in the bacon.

To serve: Place a serving of white beans in a bowl or on a plate and top with the chicken mixture and serve.

Yield: approximately 6 servings.

Tips:

• I frequently cook my own dried beans for this dish.

• This can be sped up a great deal by precooking bacon ahead of time or using precooked frozen bacon. I tend to keep frozen bacon in my freezer and some bacon drippings in the fridge for emergencies.

• Don't forget the frozen chicken bits to help speed the process. They can be tossed in the pan frozen and will be cooked through by the time the dish has finished simmering.

• If you need to get this dish ready at warp speed you can speed the process by omitting the chicken broth and using chicken bouillon / base required for 2 cups liquid and only adding water if needed to achieve desired consistency; this will allow you to reduce simmering time. It's nice to have the simmer time but you can hurry it along this way when pressed for time.

• This can also be served over mashed potatoes if you prefer those to beans.

• This dish freezes wonderfully.

• Change the meats up; instead of bacon use ham, sausage, kielbasa, or pancetta. Live it up a bit.
  

Play around with it and enjoy.

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle