Stuffed Chicken Leg Cassoulet

Ease of Preparation: Medium
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Farci:

• 4 links fresh garlic sausage
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 onion, fine dice
• 1 celery rib, fine dice
• ½ cup (120 ml) breadcrumbs
• Olive oil for sautéing
• Salt and pepper

Chicken:

• 4 whole chicken legs
• Farci
• Salt and pepper

Stew:

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, for sautéing
• 1 large onion, ¼ inch (6 mm) dice
• 2 celery ribs, ¼ inch (6 mm) dice
• 1 carrot, ¼ inch (6 mm) dice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup (240 ml) white wine
• 1 pound (454 g), white beans, cooked
• 1 quart (1 L) chicken stock (unsalted)

For the breadcrumbs:

• Olive oil, for frying
• 6-8 torn fresh sage leaves
• 1 cup (454 g) panko breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper

Special equipment:

• Butcher’s twine

Method:

For the Farci:

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

Add garlic, onion, carrot, and celery, season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, until softened.

Set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, remove the sausage meat from the casings.

When the veggies are cool, assemble the farci. In a bowl, mix the sausage meat with the cooked veggie mixture and breadcrumbs.

For the Chicken:

Debone the chicken legs: with a sharp knife, cut along the bone just above the drumstick. Using the knife tip, scrape meat from bone, inverting the meat from the bone as you go. When completely inverted, detach the chicken meat from the bone, removing the tendons.

Reserve the bones for stock. Lay out the deboned thighs, skin side down.

Evenly divide the Farci between the 4 chicken legs.

Wrap the meat around the Farci, skin side out, to make roasts.

Use butcher’s twine to truss and secure the roasts.

Lightly season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

For the stew:

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat.

Sear the chicken leg roasts until evenly browned, then remove and set aside.

In the same pan, add the onions, celery, carrot, and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the onions are soft.

Deglaze with white wine, stirring and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cooking for 5-6 minutes, until reduced by half.

Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).

Add the cooked beans and chicken stock, increase the temperature to high, and bring to a simmer.

Reduce to low heat and return the seared chicken roasts to the skillet, skin side up.

Cover, transfer to the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

For the Breadcrumbs:

Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat, add garlic and sage, sizzle for 45 seconds until aromatic.

Add the breadcrumbs to the skillet and sauté, moving constantly, until evenly browned.

Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from the pan immediately to stop the cooking. Reserve for garnish.

To Serve:

Slice and serve the stuffed legs over the beans, garnished with the fried breadcrumbs.