Easy Chicken Stew with Green Beans & Tomatoes
Served over Easy Brown Rice Cooked Pasta Style

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4

I'm forever seeking out super easy recipes that yield outrageously delicious one-pot meals. I'm not a fan of complicated or time consuming anything. This Easy Chicken Stew is a school night favorite in our house because it's deeply satisfying flavor-wise, it's comprised of ingredients I typically always have on hand always have on hand and there's nothing complicated about it.

Make-it-Ahead: This recipe is so easy that quite often as soon as I get the kitchen cleaned up and cleared out after supper, I'll whip up a batch of this stew. Knowing I won't have to cook tomorrow night is motivation enough!

Swap: In tomato season I use fresh tomatoes I peel myself. Otherwise I use whole peeled canned tomatoes.

Tip: The recipe calls for you to season the chicken with salt and pepper and to dredge it in flour. Instead of getting yet another dish dirty, I do this all right on the butcher paper the chicken arrives wrapped up in.

Flavor Boost: Pump up the savory flavors even more add 2 Tablespoons rinsed and chopped capers or 1/4 cup of seeded olives.

Knife Trick: Skin fresh tomatoes. Bring pot of water to a boil and immediately remove to kitchen sink (to reduce splash burns). Without piercing tomato flesh cut a plus sign or cross on tomato bottoms. Core tomatoes Place in pot with water and let stand 15-20 seconds. Beginning at the X where skin will have started to curl back, using your knife peel back all skin.  Discard. Chop or slice tomato as directed. Note: If skin doesn't easily peel, place tomato in water 15-20 seconds more.

For the Brown Rice:

2	cups brown rice

For the Chicken Stew:

1	pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
	Coarse salt and cracked black pepper
1/3	cup of AP flour (for dredging chicken)
1	Tablespoon olive oil
1	garlic clove, smashed (but still in one piece)
2-3	sprigs fresh thyme (or any herb you like)
1/2	cup red wine such as Chianti
2	large fresh tomatoes, skinned and cut into 1/2 inch chunks (or 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes )
3/4	pound green beans, cut into bite size pieces
	Water or Chicken stock as needed to just cover chicken, beans and tomatoes

	Cook the Brown Rice. Bring a 2-quart sauce-pot of water to a boil over medium high heat. Add the brown rice. Reduce heat to a strong simmer and cook for 30-35 minutes or until tender. Drain as you would pasta and set aside.
	Prepare the Chicken Stew. Pour flour onto butcher paper or tray the chicken is wrapped in and using it as your work surface, season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper and coating both sides, dredge through flour, shaking off all excess.
	Place olive oil and garlic in 3-quart, heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium high until hot but not smoking.
	Add chicken and reduce heat to medium. Cook, turning once (about 3-4 minutes per side) until chicken is a lovely golden brown on both sides. Remove and discard garlic if it's too brown at any point.
	Add thyme sprigs and red wine to chicken. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Cook until wine has reduced by a half or a little more.
	Add tomatoes, green beans, capers or olives if using and enough water or chicken stock to barely cover the ingredients. Cover and cook at a strong steady simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the beans have cooked through. Discard thyme. Serve immediately over brown rice.

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