This healthy but hearty recipe for chicken cassoulet is one of my favourites. If you’ve made some healthy resolutions this 2014 then this winter warmer is a must. 

It’s the new year, you’ve made promises to yourself to take more exercise, cut back on booze and more importantly, to eat more healthily. Promises which are hard to stick to when it’s wet, cold and dark outside.

Quite rightly, you resent having to get up before 10am and come the evening, the sofa, chocolate, wine, mash potato combo is tempting to say the least.

You’d promised yourself packed lunches of carrot sticks and organic hummus, thought quinoa would be your new best friend and find chomping on crispy salad leaves you cold to the bone.

So here’s a family favourite of mine that is not only packed full of vegetables (seasonal ones at that) and slow energy releasing beans that will fill you up in no time but it’s also comforting and warm like a big cashmere hug. I like to serve it with a green salad (sticking to that resolution after all) but it’s equally tasty on its own.

The Cosgrove Chicken Cassoulet

What You’ll Need:

• 1 large white onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 large carrots
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 bay leaves
• Two sprigs of fresh thyme
• Two sprigs of rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Chicken stock or stock cube
• Kale/ Spring greens
• Spinach
• 4 chicken thighs  – skin removed
• Bertolloti/ Haricot or Butter beans (either two 400g tins in water or 500g dried. If using dry beans soak over night first and then cook separately the next day)
• Vegetable oil (1 teaspoon)

What To Do:

1. Remove the skin from your chicken thighs. Although this skin is packed full of lovely flavour I’m afraid it does contain quite a bit of fat.

2. Chop your onion into medium size pieces put into a large sauce pan with a teaspoon of vegetable oil (again only a teaspoon – we’re trying to cut back on fat remember).

3. Stir the onion and oil together so that all of the onion has a tiny coating of oil. Put on a medium heat on the stove and gently soften the onion with the lid on. Keep an eye on the onion and keep stirring so that it doesn’t catch. If it starts to catch add a few table spoons of water to help steam the onion and soften it.

4. Meanwhile squash your two garlic cloves with a large chopping knife. Cut into rough chunks and sprinkle lightly with salt. The salt will help “dissolve” the garlic into a paste. Use the edge of the knife to puree the garlic into a paste – add into the pan with the onion.

5. Next add in the chicken. Mix in with the onions and garlic and stir occasionally so that the chicken starts to cook through.

6. Meanwhile chop your carrots and celery into small chunks. Add the chopped vegetables into the chicken and onion and mix thoroughly. Your pan should be looking about 1/3 full now depending on the size of the pan.

7. Pour over some boiling chicken stock (or boiling water with a chicken stock cube dissolved in it) so that the vegetables and chicken are just covered. Add in salt, pepper, two bay leaves, sprigs of rosemary and thyme (you can leave these whole) and cover with a lid. Leave to simmer on a medium heat for 20 mins stirring occasionally.

8. After 20 mins add the two cans of beans (or the beans that you have cooked from dried). Stir well, if necessary cover with more stock so that the stew is nearly covered but not quite. Replace the lid and simmer for a further 40 mins on a low heat.

9. While this is simmering away chop your kale or greens and rinse your spinach. These will be added to the stew for 5 mins before it’s ready to serve – you want the kale or greens to still have a slight bite to them.

10. After 40 mins of the beans simmering in the pan and 5 further minutes with the kale/ spring green pick out the bayleaves and herbs (not strictly necessary but don’t eat them). The beans should have turned the stock into a thick and creamy jus.

11. Serve on plates with green salad and if you are feeling naughty a good hunk of French bread – we can’t be complete Saints can we?

This stew will taste even better on day 2 so if you don’t finish it all enjoy for lunch the next day. Equally any leftovers will make a wonderful hearty soup – just make sure you pick out any bones and herbs. Add a chopped potato or two, top up with water so that the stew and potatoes are just covered. Boil together and when the potatoes are soft blend. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Yum.