Chicken Cassoulet

Any meal I can make in one pot sounds like a fantastic idea to me, so for Christmas I asked for a healthy slow cooker (crockpot) recipe book and that’s exactly what I got.  It’s called “The Healthy Slow Cooker” by Judith Finlayson.
This book is great.  In addition to each recipe Judith includes a “mindful morsel” explaining nutritional content of the recipe along with a “natural wonder” where she dives in and gives you a bit more interesting information about an ingredient in that recipe.

I was eager to get started and tried out the Chicken Cassoulet recipe the day after getting the book and it was phenomenal!!  So, I’d like to share it here with you.

Chicken Cassoulet
You need a large slow cooker for this one!
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil                             2 onions finely chopped
8 carrots, peeled and sliced       4 stalks celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced              2 tsp herbes de Provence
1 tsp salt                         1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
1 can (28oz.) chopped tomatoes w/ juice
1 cup chicken or veg broth                          2 bay leaves
2 cans (19oz each) white beans, drained
2 lbs skinless bone-in chicken thighs (about 8 thighs)
1 lb cremini or portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped dill

Instructions:
1. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 10 seconds .  Add onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until carrots are softened, about 7 minutes.  Add garlic, herbes de Provence, salt and peppercorns and cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes with juice, chicken stock, beans and bay leaves and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.
2. Spoon half of the bean mixture into slow cooker stone ware.  Lay chicken evenly over top.  Arrange mushrooms evenly over chicken.  Spoon remainder of sauce over mushrooms.
3. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.  Stir in dill.  Cover and cook on High for 15 minutes, until flavours meld.
Enjoy!