This Easy French Chicken Cassoulet brings amazing French flavors to your table in just an hour! It's loaded with chicken thighs, smoky sausage, creamy white beans, and a wine sauce packed with herbs.
The chicken drippings, garlic, thyme, white wine, and crispy golden breadcrumbs make this chicken and sausage cassoulet so tasty. It's a one-dish meal you'll make over and over!
French comfort food… but make it lazy. And fabulous. 🇫🇷✨
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🗝️ Recipe's key points
- This chicken cassoulet recipe gives you all those classic French flavors in just one hour - and it's way easier than you'd think!
- It's super hearty with plenty of protein, beans, and herbs. The breadcrumb crust on top adds a nice crunch.
- Cassoulet is usually a winter thing, but honestly, it's so good you'll want it all year!
If you love cozy, comforting meals, you need to try this easy recipe. One bite and you'll feel like you're in a little French bistro!
🛒 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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- Chicken thighs – You can substitute chicken breasts if needed, but thighs have more flavor.
- Kosher salt and black pepper – Brings out all the other flavors.
- Olive oil – For cooking and the breadcrumb topping.
- Onion – Yellow onions are best, but white onions work too.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is worth it here - the jarred stuff just isn't the same.
- Smoked sausage – Kielbasa is perfect here, giving it a great smoky flavor. Andouille sausage works too if you want some spice.
- Fresh thyme – That classic French herb flavor. If you only have dried thyme, use 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon.
- Ground allspice – This adds a warmth that makes the dish perfect for chilly weather!
- Dry white wine – Use something you'd actually drink - Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio are great.
- Tomato paste – Makes the sauce richer.
- White beans – Great northern or cannellini beans make this dish filling and satisfying. You can also use navy beans in a pinch.
- Chicken stock – Low-sodium gives you more control over the salt. You can use vegetable stock if that's what you have.
- Fresh breadcrumbs – Just pulse some day-old bread in a food processor.
🗒 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet with oil over medium-high heat.
- Brown the chicken on both sides until golden and cooked through, about 10-11 minutes total. Move the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet with all those good chicken drippings, add the onion and sausage.
- Cook the onion and sausage until the onion is soft and golden.
- Add the garlic, thyme, allspice, and the rest of the seasonings.
- Continue cooking until the smell of the garlic really comes out.
- Pour in the wine and tomato paste, stirring everything together. Let it simmer for a minute or two so the wine reduces a bit.
- Add the beans, chicken stock, and a bit more oil, bringing it all to a simmer.
- While it simmers, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Stir the shredded chicken and any juices from the plate into the bean mixture.
- Pour everything into a baking dish and spread it out.
- Toss the breadcrumbs with oil.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the chicken cassoulet. Bake it for about 20 minutes. You want the top to be golden brown and the edges bubbly.
- Serve it hot with a sprinkle of fresh thyme on top.
🥫 Storage
Store leftover cassoulet in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can freeze it for up to 3 months, which is great for meal prep.
Reheat it in a covered dish in a 350°F oven until it's hot all the way through, about 20-25 minutes. You can also just reheat individual portions in the microwave.
📚 Variations
- More Vegetables: Throw in some diced carrots or celery when you're cooking the onions.
- Herbs: Add some fresh rosemary or parsley with the thyme.
- Spicier Version: Use Andouille sausage instead of kielbasa for some heat.
- Wine Substitute: Don't want to use wine? Just use extra chicken stock with a tablespoon of white wine vinegar.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Get a good brown on the chicken. Those browned bits stuck to the pan are pure flavor gold.
- Don't skip deglazing with the wine! Scraping up all those brown bits is where the magic happens.
- Fresh breadcrumbs are way better than the stuff in a can. Just toss some bread in a food processor.
- Let the dish sit for 5 minutes after baking. This makes it easier to serve and the sauce thickens up a bit.
- If the breadcrumbs are browning too fast, just cover the dish loosely with foil for the last few minutes.
🤔 FAQs
Absolutely! Like most stews, it gets even better after sitting overnight. Reheat gently on the stove or in the oven before serving.
Smoked sausage or kielbasa works beautifully. If you want a spicier flavor, try andouille or chorizo.
Yes — that’s part of the “lazy” charm! Simply drain and rinse before adding them.
Any dry white wine will do. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio are both great choices.
Swap the chicken and sausage for mushrooms and more beans, and use vegetable stock. It’s still hearty and flavorful!
📗 Related Recipes
If you love easy casseroles like this one, you'll also want to try:
- Chicken Divan Casserole
- Chicken Cobbler
- Alfredo Baked Tortellini
- Ultimate Ground Beef Casserole
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Johnny Marzetti Casserole
For more recipes with creamy white beans, try my Ultimate Cabbage Soup, Wickedly Good Spicy White Chicken Chili, and my Tuscan Collard Greens with Pancetta!
🍽 What to serve with this lazy cassoulet
Crusty bread is a must for soaking up the sauce! A crisp green salad or roasted vegetables make perfect companions.
🔪 All Our Way recommends the following
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Large skillet – for browning the chicken and making the sauce
- Chef's knife and cutting board – for prepping all the ingredients
- Dry measuring cups, measuring spoons, and liquid measuring cup – for measuring accuracy
- 8X11-inch Baking dish – for baking and serving the cassoulet
- Mixing bowl – for the crunchy breadcrumb topping
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
Who says French cooking has to be fancy or fussy? This Lazy Cassoulet brings the cozy feel of a country kitchen to your table. You can enjoy it without a long cooking time. I enjoy serving it with a simple green salad. A baguette is great for soaking up the herby wine sauce. And of course, a small glass of something French is a must. 🍷
So when life feels busy and you still want to eat magnifiquement, give this cassoulet a try. Your kitchen will smell like Paris, your heart will feel full, and you’ll have plenty of time to relax.
Bon appétit, mes amis ! 🇫🇷❤️🇮🇹
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📖 Recipe
Easy French Chicken Cassoulet You Can Make in an Hour
Equipment Needed
- Baking dish 8x11-inch
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs boneless and skinless, patted dry 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper divided
- ½ cup olive oil or canola oil divided
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion chopped
- 6 ounces smoked sausage such as kielbasa, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped, plus more whole sprigs, to taste, for garnish
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 30 oz. white beans, such as great northern beans or cannellini, drained and rinsed 2- 15-ounce cans
- 1 cup chicken stock unsalted
- 1 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the oil.
- Add the chicken thighs to the hot oil and cook, undisturbed, until the edges turn opaque and the bottoms are browned, about 6 minutes. Make sure to adjust the heat as needed to prevent scorching. Step 5
- Flip the chicken and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and do not clean the pan.
- Place the skillet with the chicken drippings over medium heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil, the onion, and the sausage. Cook while stirring often until the onion is tender and lightly golden, about 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the thyme, the allspice, the remaining salt, and the remaining pepper and cook, while stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the wine and tomato paste, stirring to combine.
- Bring the sausage mixture to a simmer.
- Cook, stirring often, until the flavors have melded together and the wine has reduced slightly, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the beans, chicken stock, and 2 tablespoons of the oil, and cook, stirring to combine, until the sausage mixture comes to a simmer.
- Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Add the chicken and any accumulated juices on the plate to the sausage mixture.
- Transfer the cassoulet mixture to an 8x11-inch baking dish, spreading it out evenly into a layer.
- In a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs and the remaining oil and toss to combine.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cassoulet mixture in the baking dish.
- Bake until the dish is heated through, the top is browned, and the sides are bubbly, about 20 minutes.
- Serve garnished with the extra thyme sprigs.
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Marisa Franca
Whenever we're craving French comfort, but I'm short on time, I make this simple cassoulet. I call it our one-pot wonder!