WEEKDAY CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Rinse the chicken, then pat very dry. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saute pan over low heat, add the oil and the garlic. Stir until the oil is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until the bread crumbs start to turn golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and set aside.
• Put the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat, and slowly render the fat. When crispy, Remove the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken on both sides and then remove to a plate and tent with foil.
• Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic to the pot and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine; simmer until reduced by half. Stir in the beans, bay leaf and thyme. Nestle the chicken thighs and bacon into the pot. Add the chicken stock, cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, remove the lid and top the cassoulet with sliced tomatoes and the Garlic Bread Crumbs. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, 15 minutes longer. Serve the cassoulet with baguette slices.