Chicken Sweet Potato Stew

I am so behind in my blogging.  I haven't stopped cooking/baking, but have been so busy from our travels, and Christmas and kids, that I just haven't gotten to it.  I am trying to get my house back in order from undecorating from Christmas, and we just had our family Christmas on the 7th because of our travels.  So, now I need to get back onto food!
This dish was so hearty and delicious, not to mentioned filled our home with an amazing fragrance.  It was cozy, filling, and even figure friendly.  And easy!  I did it all in my dutch oven (stove to oven), and my rice cooker.  My husband was raving about it and in my daughters words, "It doesn't look very good, but it sure smells good and tasted good!"  I personally loved all the color.  The sweet potatoes break down some and flavor the broth/gravy making it slightly sweet and thick.  And the chicken is so tender!  We served it over brown jasmine rice.  Will definitely be making this one again!

CHICKEN SWEET POTATO STEW
adapted from: http://allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 med-large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots, diced (I used baby, about 1.5 cups)
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - diced
• salt and pepper
• 2-3 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock (I used broth)
•  3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dry
• 1/4 cup half-and-half or light cream (I skipped to make it lighter)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until just starting to turn golden. Mix in the sweet potatoes and carrot; cook and stir for a few minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Move the vegetables to the sides of the pan, or to one side to make a clear area for the chicken. Add the chicken; season with salt and pepper (about 1 tsp salt) cook and stir until seared on all sides. Scatter the flour over the top, and stir it in. Gradually stir in the chicken stock, mixing carefully so that no flour lumps form. Scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan while you do this. Add sprigs of fresh thyme and the wine, and mix through. Transfer to a casserole dish, and cover with a lid.
Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven, remove sticks from thyme and let it cool just a little before stirring in the cream (or else it may curdle). I skipped the cream.  Serve over rice.