The mission: feed the family plus two of their voriacious friends.
The constraint: 30 minutes to get dinner on the table, the kids fed and off to their various activities.
The ingredients: chicken, carrots, celery, bruised apples. It was clean-out-the-fridge Friday.  I was a lady on a mission. I browned the skinless, boneless chicken thighs in a dutch oven. Once the outsides were cooked, I threw in the chopped vegetables and let them soften for a couple of minutes. I poured in a cup of chicken stock to add moisture and prevent burning.

I was in the mood for something Moroccan-ish. A dash of ground cumin and cinnamon, along with a couple of cinnamon sticks.  

I covered the dutch oven and let the stew simmer until the chicken was fully cooked. After 10 minutes, I added the sliced apples and turned off the heat. The house smelled delicous.

Mission accomplished. Best of all, the gang ate it and enjoyed it. For the most part. My daughter thought that apples with chicken were too weird. She ate everything BUT the apples.

As for the others, they had seconds. Apples and all.

Here's my recipe for the one-pot Moroccan-inspired chicken stew. I served it on a bed of quinoa. Rice or couscous works well too. 

A-K's Weird and Wonderful Chicken Stew 
Serves 10
Skinned chicken parts
Vegetable oil to brown the chicken
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated 
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 small apples, cored and sliced (optional)
salt and pepper to taste