Chicken, chorizo and cannellini bean casserole
Saturday, August 21, 2010 at 3:50PM 
Here is another of my seasonally inappropriate recipes from the comfort food binge last weekend. The temperature has stayed on the cool side, so I’m guessing it won’t be long before everyone is starting to crave winter warmers.
This recipe was an experiment, so I have only made it once. It worked very well, but I feel the need to highlight that it has not been ‘tried and tested’ in the usual way. The combination and balance of ingredients was just right, so I wouldn’t change anything there, but I would be interested in trying out alternative cooking methods.
Some other recipes with cannellini beans only require that you boil the beans in stock for 10 to 15 minutes before adding them to the casserole. I had never made a casserole with cannellini beans before, so I was wary of adding them only partially cooked and then finding that they were still hard when everything else was ready. I was also cautious of overcooking them, hence leaving them to one side while the casserole was on the stove. I found this method worked just fine, but I might take the risk next time and allow them to cook in the casserole.
The chief dilemma I had when making this dish was whether to put it in the oven. My indecision is evident in the fact that I ended up cooking it half on the stove before transferring it to the oven. Those masters of French cooking, Child, Bertolle and Beck advise that,
Stews may be cooked either in the oven or on top of the stove; the oven is preferable because its heat is more uniform.
Indeed, my chicken might have been more tender had it spent less time on the stove. The main reason I cooked it for a while this way was to reduce the sauce, but I could have just as easily put it uncovered in the oven to achieve the same result. In doing so, I would probably have ended up with a nice crust on top of the dish, similar to that on a cassolet. I will try this next time and let you know how it turns out.
The casserole before adding the beans
Ingredients
Serves 4 as a main course.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C
Drain the beans and put in a large saucepan with the whole clove of garlic, 1 bay leaf, a few sprigs of the thyme and the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes before turning down the heat and leaving them to simmer for a further 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Heat the lard or olive oil over a medium-high heat in a large heavy-based casserole. Fry the chorizo for 2 to 3 minutes, before it starts to crisp remove with a slotted spoon and put to one side. Add the chicken thighs, lightly brown on each side, remove from the pan and put to one side.
Turn the heat down to low, add the onions and remaining garlic and sweat for 5 minutes or until pale and translucent. Finely chop the remaining thyme, pulling the leaves off any particularly woody stems and discarding the latter; you should have approximately 1 tbsp chopped thyme. Add the thyme to the onions along with the other bay leaf.
Turn the heat up and pour in the white wine. Let the wine bubble and reduce, then add the tinned tomatoes, roast pepper, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Stir, check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
When the beans are ready, drain them over a bowl, reserving the stock. Discard the garlic, bay leaf and thyme and leave the beans to one side. Add the leftover stock (approx 200ml) to the stew, along with the chicken and chorizo. Cook over a low heat for 30mins, partially covered, before adding the beans and transferring to the oven (covered) for a further 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread.
Reader Comments (9)
Hey Vix I just had to try this because I love the individual ingredients. Uk followers - shop in Waitrose..they had it all. Even the smoked paprika. My version worked a treat , but there were a few differences: I used tinned beans. This meant that the stock and the flavourings to cook the beans from scratch were superfluous. Also, some how, when it was all cooked , the juice was too runny , so I strained everything and reduced the juice in an uncovered pan - until it seemed just right , then poured it over everything and served. It was delicious, Very rich flavour. I cooked it for our friend Sara. She loved it. x Ma
I forgot to add ... I seared the pepper as you suggested but I don't think your recipe makes clear what we're sposed to do with it when it 's ready. I just put it in to cook with the chicken when it went into the oven for the last 30 mins.
Hi Ma,
Thanks for your last point, I was indeed missing the step for the roast pepper and have updated the post accordingly.
Re. runny sauce - that is a good way to reduce it. I quite like having a fair bit of sauce to mop up, hence not adding this step to the recipe, but good to have your tip to follow if people prefer something thicker.
Hiya Vicky,
I made a similar dish the other day inspired by yours. I used a whole chicken and after frying the chorizo and onion I placed all the ingredients in a Le Creuset dish in the oven and slow cooked it. I did not have any cannellini beans so susbtitued them with canned chickpeas instead. I also added some anardana powder (that I bought ages ago and had been wondering how to use!) and fresh pomegranate juice and a touch of fresh chilli (could not resist) and it gave it a lovely hot, sweet, tangy flavour which I think went really well with the richness of the chorizo.
Many thanks for the inspiration!
Lisa
XX
Hi Lisa, it sounds like you made a fantastically inventive dish for which I do not believe I deserve any of the credit you so kindly bestow upon me. I had never heard of anardana powder, but it sounds wonderful! What an amazing thing to have lying around in your cupboard. I like the idea of adding the sweet and tangy element so will definitely have to try it some time. Did you cook the chicken whole or did you disjoint it? x
I cooked this again last week. I was in Alicante with a bunch of serious foodies, Gilpin,Gayle,Olga,Trev,Jules,Gordon and Brenda.I'm happy to report that they loved it. It was nearly a disaster though, as when I upped the quantities I made far too much juice .Gilpin had provided home made chicken stock and tomato juice to cook the pre soaked beans in, but I had used too much. So when it was all cooked I drained the dish, split the juice into two large wide pans and reduced it right down by boiling it uncovered on a high flame. The only other thing to mention is that I never put the dish in the oven , just cooked it on top of the stove. Why does the recipe recommend doing the last half hour in the oven?
As I said in the intro, there is no real reason why I finished the dish off in the oven. I was just feeling indecisive and that is how I did it. When I then wrote the recipe I had to include that stage because I did not want to give inaccurate instructions for the timing on the stove until I'd tested it out. I haven't made this since, as I always change the ingredients depending on what I have, so I haven't had a chance to update it but when I do I will, promise!
This has to be the best - most versatile dish ever. I cooked it in the Pyrenees a week or so ago.I was able to use fresh haricot beans from the market. A first for me. I cooked them in the chicken stock , then set them aside , adding them in at the end. I used duck breasts in stead of chicken. Jilly and Andrew have fresh bay and thyme in their garden so that added to the wonderfulness of this dish. It was so good , that- after a week of travelling with Claudia and Richard , and eating some of the best that Perigord, Loire Valley and Paris has to offer, Richard picked it as one of two dishes he wants to re create when we get back to Sydney. So thanks Vix, it's a top recipe , a real favourite..
Hi Ma, high praise! I think you deserve most of it though cause the changes you made sound wonderful and I think they prove that you should not always see yourself as the 'non-cook' of the family. Whenever you comment on my blog it is to tell me that you tried something with this or that instead and it was great, so... I rest my case. xx