Chicken, sausage and white bean casserole

Tam West

This rustic winter casserole is perfect for a midweek meal as it has the shortest cooking time. Chicken cooked on the bone always gives another delicious level of flavour. This dish is very flexible as you can swap the chicken drumsticks for bone-in chicken thighs and experiment with different flavours of sausage. Try also using butter beans, chickpeas or even pasta.

Ingredients

1 ½ kgs	Chicken drumsticks (Main)
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
6	Chipolata sausages, or other sausages (Main)
1	Diced onion
2 tsp	Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp	Thyme leaves, fresh
½ cup	White wine
1 can	Chopped tomatoes
3 cups	Chicken stock
1 can	Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (Main)
2 cups	Cavolo nero, picked and washed, or use kale or spinach (Main)

Directions

1. Season the drumsticks lightly with salt. Heat a large frying pan until hot, add 2 Tbsp oil then fry chicken until well browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Place the chipolatas in the pan and cook until caramelised. Remove and set aside.
3. Add a little more oil to the pan. Fry the onion until soft, about 4-5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and thyme. Add wine, tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil.
4. Place drumsticks into a casserole, pour over the boiling liquid and season with pepper.
5. Cover with a lid and simmer gently on the stove top for 45 minutes (or in the oven at 140C for 1½ hours or in the slow cooker set on high for 1½ hours).
6. Twenty minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the chipolatas and cannellini beans to the casserole. Gently push them down under the braising juices, cover and continue cooking.
7. Just prior to serving, stir through the cavolo nero. Spoon into warmed bowls and serve with fresh bread to mop up the juices.

More slow-cooked meals from Geoff

• Beef, red wine and mushroom stew
• Pickled pork, parsley dumplings and pineapple pickle