Finely dice the onion and chop the carrot into tiny bite sized pieces and set aside.

Finely chop the leek and shallot and mince the garlic. Chop the bacon into small pieces and slice the sausage into bite size chunks.

Heat the Dutch oven or large pot on the stove over medium heat and add the bacon, browning it until it is cooked. Remove the bacon and set it aside, reserving the bacon grease in the pan.

Add the sausage and brown it, remove it and set it aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan and add the onions and carrots, sautéing them for 4-5 minutes until they begin to soften.

Put the spices, chopped leek, shallot and minced garlic in the pot also and sauté for another minute.

Carefully deglaze the bottom of the Dutch oven by pouring the wine into the pot. With a wooden spoon, stir the pot constantly while scraping all of the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan.

Add the black eyed peas to the Dutch oven along with the chicken stock. Cover and simmer the mixture for about an hour.

After it has simmered for about an hour, check the black eyed peas for doneness and add the sausage, bacon and shredded chicken to the pot.

The consistency of this cassoulet should be somewhere between a stew and a casserole. It shouldn’t be too thick, nor should it be runny like a soup. Add more liquid if need be.

If it is too runny, remove the lid and simmer it for another 15 minutes. If it is still too runny, put 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into a small mixing bowl and ladle some cooking liquid into the bowl, whisking it until it is smooth. Pour it into the pot and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so.

Once the beans are done and the consistency is thick, serve it while it is hot, sprinkling fresh chopped parsley on top for garnish. Enjoy!