This dish is an American twist on the French classic “Choucroute Garnie.”
The word Choucroute, pronounced ‘Shoo-Kroot’ is the French word for pickled cabbage, which is Sauerkraut. In the Choucroute Garnie dish, the pickled cabbage is served with assorted sausages and other meats along with potatoes. A peasant dish at heart.
Chicken and Bacon Choucroute is a hearty, Alsatian-inspired dish that brings together tender chicken, smoky bacon, and tangy sauerkraut in a comforting, slow-cooked meal. Traditionally rooted in French-German cuisine.
This version is a rustic twist on classic choucroute garnie, which is a traditional german dish featuring a generous platter of sauerkraut (“choucroute”) garnished (“garnie”) with a variety of salted, smoked, and cured meats. The tradional “choucroute garnie” features meats such as:
- Smoked sausages (like Montbéliard or Strasbourg)
- Frankfurters
- Salt pork or smoked bacon
- Smoked ham hocks or pork shoulder
- Kassler (smoked pork chops)
- Sometimes even duck confit or veal
In this version we replace some of the heavier cured meats with juicy chicken thighs while retaining the deep, smoky, savory flavor from kielbasa, and thick-cut bacon or lardons.
The dish features:
- Sauerkraut: Rinsed and gently simmered to balance acidity while keeping its signature tang.
- Chicken: Bone-in, skin-on pieces like thighs, seared until golden, then braised until fall-off-the-bone tender.
- Bacon or Lardons: Rendered for richness and smokiness, layering flavor throughout.
- Sausages: Kielbasa or Bratwurst retain the sausage element of the original dish without the heavy, overly salty flavor of cured meats.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic, juniper berries, and fresh thyme sprigs to infuse the sauerkraut.
- Liquid: A splash of dry white wine, to deglaze and simmer the dish, creating a flavorful broth.
- Whole Warm Potato Salad (served the same platter, family-style): Added to soak up the juices and make the meal more filling.
Flavor Profile: The combination of salty, sour, and savory flavors makes this dish perfect for colder months, served piping hot with mustard and crusty bread or boiled potatoes. It’s rustic, deeply flavorful, and a great way to enjoy the complex character of fermented cabbage alongside simple, familiar proteins.
Chicken and Bacon Choucroute with Whole Warm Potato Salad
Description
The word Choucroute, pronounced 'Shoo-Kroot' is the French word for pickled cabbage, which is Sauerkraut. In the Choucroute Garnie dish, the pickled cabbage is served with assorted sausages and other meats along with potatoes. A peasant dish at heart.
In this dish, we add chicken thighs, bacon, and serve it with a warm, whole potato salad with a vinegar-based dressing that compliments the sauerkraut, chicken, and sausage quite well.
Chicken and Bacon Choucroute
For the Choucroute:
For the Whole Warm Potato Salad:
Choucroute
For the Choucroute:
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Preheat oven to 400°F 🔥
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Drizzle oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Season chicken generously with salt and arrange chicken, skin side down in a single layer in skillet. Cook chicken, undisturbed, until skin is golden brown around the edges, 12-15 minutes. Using a stiff spatula, lift up chicken, then set it back down, still skin side down. Once chicken pieces have all released from the skillet and slide around easily, continue to cook, shifting as needed so that all pieces cook evenly, until browned, about another 6-8 minutes. Transfer chicken pieces to a plate, turning skin side up. Pour off all but 1/4 cup of fat from skillet.
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Add bacon to the same skillet and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, transfer to a plate with paper towels to drain.
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In the same skillet, without draining the bacon fat, sauté the onion until tender. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Toss in the thyme sprigs and juniper berries, cooking for about 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the sauerkraut and wine, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally to deglaze the skillet, until the wine is almost completely evaporated, 6-8 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat.
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Place sausages in a 3-quart baking dish and pile the sauerkraut mixture over sausages (submerge sausages). Arrange chicken thighs and bacon on top of sauerkraut mixture. Pour in 3/4 cup of water and bake, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through and liquid is bubbling throughout, about 25-30 minutes.
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Let cool slightly, and serve on a large platter with chicken thighs on the top and the potato salad to one side.
For the Whole Warm Potato Salad:
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Place potatoes in a large stockpot and cover with 2" of water, season generously with kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then immediatelt reduce to a simmer. Cook potatoes until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. rain, let sit to dry.
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In a medium bowl, mix together shallots, oil, vinegar, mustard, hot sauce, and honey until smooth; season with salt as needed. Add the warm potatoes to the dressing and gently toss until fully coated. Let the potatoes sit in the dressing for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour to soak up the flavors. Just before serving, stir in the tarragon leaves and toss to combine.
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Serve both the Choucroute and the potato salad together on a large platter, family-style.
Equipment
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Nutrition Facts
Servings 6
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 834kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 61g94%
- Saturated Fat 20g100%
- Cholesterol 196mg66%
- Sodium 4053mg169%
- Potassium 1335mg39%
- Total Carbohydrate 28g10%
- Dietary Fiber 5g20%
- Protein 46g92%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
