Chicken Cacciatore-ish

I wanted to make a dish that would use a lot of the vegetables I had in the fridge. I wanted it to be colourful and hearty. I first thought of stir-fry because my husband always buys chicken thighs that are already cut up so it's easy to cut them into chunks and fry them up. But I really wasn't feeling it, so I went to my cookbook shelf. I saw Giada's Everyday Italian and picked it up. I was really looking for a sauce idea to either marinate or cook the chicken in, but didn't find much. I did see her cacciatore recipe though and that became my inspiration. As usual, I don't really measure my seasonings, so these are my approximations below - adjust to suit your tastes. We ate this over jasmine rice - very yummy. If you like more kick, add cayenne when you add the oregano or add more of it to the dredge mixture.

INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp each salt, pepper and paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 carrots, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 handful green beans, cut into thirds
Salt and pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 pkg (227g) sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup (red) wine
1 can diced tomatoes, with their juices
3/4 cup chicken stock

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix flour, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper. Use this as a dredge to evenly coat pieces of chicken. Heat approx 3 tbsp oil (I used a combo of vegetable and olive oil) over medium high heat and sauté chicken in 2 batches; set aside.
2. If necessary, add more oil and sauté onions for a couple of minutes. Add carrots and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the red pepper and green beans - season with salt, pepper and oregano - and continue to sauté for another few minutes until onions are tender and other vegetables begin to soften.
3. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up all yummy brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Stir in the mushrooms and cover. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the wine is reduced. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and give it a stir. Return the chicken to the pan, submerging them in the sauce and stir. Bring to a simmer.
4. Cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Uncover and crank the heat to let it gently boil for a few minutes if the sauce needs to be thickened.
5. Serve over cooked rice, quinoa or even pasta!

This is what was leftover in the pan after we enjoyed our dinner. I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture earlier! ;-)