Chicken and Sausage White Bean Pot

This is another recipe that I got in a promo magazine last fall, I forget which one. I found it online in Better Homes and Gardens, though, so they must be using the same source… In any event, this dish is easy to make, and most of the prep time is actually hands-off. I made this when picking up my parents from the airport – I prepped in advance, then just threw the pot in the oven when we got back, and we had an easy dinner plus leftovers. Note that I adapted the recipe a bit to use canned beans, but if you want to use dried beans, it’ll obviously take longer. Also, I removed the chicken from the pot before serving and cut it into bite-sized pieces; you could use boneless, skinless chicken, but then it should probably be stirred into the mixture instead of being left on top to brown. Everyone here liked it, even the Little Prince (as long as there are sausages, he’s happy). I recommend serving this with crusty bread, to soak up the sauce.

Note that for the bacon, 2 ounces were chopped in the food processor and were left over from making this recipe.

6 oz. thick-sliced bacon or pancetta, chopped
12 oz. Andouille sausage
2 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs and/or drumsticks (about 6)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 large onions, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped (1 ½ cups)
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped (1 ½ cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
8 sprigs fresh Italian parsley and/or thyme
2 bay leaves
4 15-oz. cans of white beans
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
Italian parsley. For garnish (optional)

Cook bacon or pancetta in an 8-quart Dutch oven over medium heat for 8 minutes or until crisp. Remove to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add whole sausage to Dutch oven; cook for 6 minutes or until browned, turning occasionally. Add to bowl with bacon. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper. Add to Dutch oven; cook for 8 minutes over medium-high heat until well-browned, turning occasionally. Remove to bowl with bacon and sausage; set aside in refrigerator. Drain all but 1 tablespoon drippings from the Dutch oven.

Add onions, carrots, and celery to Dutch oven and cook for 8 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomato paste, parsley sprigs, and bay leaves. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the oven warms up in the next step.

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Cut cooked sausage into 1-inch pieces. Stir sausage, bacon, and beans into Dutch oven. Place chicken on top so the skin is exposed. Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and butter. Scatter bread crumbs on top of bean mixture and bake for 20 minutes more or until crumbs are golden. Remove bay leaves and herb sprigs before serving. Garnish with parsley.