Quick Chicken Cassoulet

📝 Ingredients

• 500 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 tins white beans (795 g drained in total)
• 3 carrots (about 240 g)
• 1 brown onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400 g)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 300 ml hot water
• 1 tsp dried thyme and 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 30 g panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Flameproof casserole dish with lid
• Baking dish
• Colander
• Chopping board
• Knife
• Wooden spoon

📖 Steps

1. Cut the chicken thighs into large 4 cm pieces and season with salt and pepper. Peel the carrots and cut them into 5 mm rounds, slice the onion and chop the garlic. Tip the beans into the colander, rinse under cold water and drain.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes, turning halfway, until well coloured on all sides. Set aside on a plate: it will finish cooking in the sauce.
3. Turn down to a medium heat, add the onion and carrots to the casserole and fry for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic, tomato purée and smoked paprika and stir for 1 minute: the purée should darken slightly without burning.
4. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stock, then scrape the bottom with the wooden spoon to lift the browned bits. Add the beans, the chicken with its juices, the thyme and the bay leaf. Stir gently and bring to the boil.
5. Cover, turn down to a low heat and simmer for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for a further 10 minutes to reduce the sauce, stirring from the bottom now and then. The carrots should be tender and the sauce thickened; if it catches, add a little water. Preheat the oven to 210 °C.
6. Remove the bay leaf, taste and adjust the salt and pepper. If your casserole isn't ovenproof, transfer everything to the gratin dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over in a thin, even layer, then drizzle with the second spoonful of oil.
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 210 °C, switching to the grill for the last 2 minutes and keeping an eye on it: the crust should be golden and the sauce bubbling at the edges. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving; the sauce will thicken further.