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Braised Chicken, Sausage and Beans Recipe

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

For the Braise

  • 6 chicken thighs skins removed
  • 6 sweet sausage links slightly frozen - sliced into ½ inch slices
  • 28 oz cans cannellini beans
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 head napa cabbage sliced
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Couscous

  • 1 cup Israeli couscous
  • cups water
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • I pulled my slow cooker (crock-pot) out of the cabinet and turned it onto high. No use waiting while I prepped my ingredients, which took no time at all.
  • First I removed the skin from the chicken thighs and cut off any extraneous fat and tossed the thighs into the pot.
  • Next I sliced the sausages into ½ slices and added them to the pot.
    The sausages were not completely defrosted so they were actually easier to slice since they didn't fall apart.
  • Add the canned cannellini beans with their liquids.
  • Finely, chop up the onion and add it to the pot.
  • I added two cups of roasted chicken stock but I could have gotten away with one cup.
    There was a lot of liquid in the pot which was fine with me because it had such an awesome flavor. I'm going to eat the leftovers as a soup today for lunch.
  • I sliced up a head of Napa cabbage and added it to the top, seasoned with salt and pepper, put on the top and let it cook for about 6 hours.
  • About 15 minutes before serving I added the balsamic vinegar and gave it a stir. Tasted it and adjusted seasonings with salt and pepper.

For the Couscous

  • Prepare the Israeli couscous by simmering a cup of couscous in 1¼ cups of water.
    Now that I think of it, I could have used some of the liquids from the slow cooker to make the couscous. Hmmm, maybe next time.
  • I put a couple of spoonfuls of couscous in each shallow bowl and served the chicken, sausage and beans over it and ladled some of the cooking liquid around it.

Notes

A very simple and tasty meal. You always hear me say how much I like "quick and easy" dishes, now I can say how much I enjoy "slow and easy" braised meals.