Shortcut Chicken Cassoulet

Notes: Serve with a green salad and crusty bread.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4  boned, skinned chicken thighs (4 oz. each)
• 8  ounces  turkey kielbasa (Polish) sausages
• 1  ounce  French bread
• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 1  onion (8 oz.), peeled and chopped
• 2  carrots (8 oz. total), peeled and chopped
• 2/3  cup  fat-skimmed chicken broth
• 2  teaspoons  fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1  dried bay leaf
• 2  cans (15 oz. each) cannellini (white) beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  tablespoon  chopped parsley
• Salt

Preparation

1. Remove and discard excess fat from chicken; rinse thighs and pat dry. Cut sausages into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

2. Cut or tear bread into 1/2-inch chunks. Whirl in a food processor or blender into coarse crumbs; you should have 1/2 cup. In a 5- to 6-quart nonstick pan over medium-high heat, stir crumbs in 1/2 teaspoon olive oil until lightly browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Scrape into a bowl.

3. Return pan to high heat; add remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil. When hot, add chicken and sausages; turn occasionally to brown on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes total. As chicken and sausages are browned, transfer to a plate. Add onion and carrots to pan; stir often until onion is limp, about 5 minutes.

4. Add broth, thyme, bay leaf, beans, chicken, and sausages; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Spoon cassoulet into shallow bowls and sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs and parsley. Add salt to taste.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

452 (24% from fat)

Protein:

45g

Fat:

12g (sat 4)

Carbohydrate:

40g

Fiber:

11g

Sodium:

1003mg

Cholesterol:

125mg