Fesenjan is a Persian chicken stew made with chicken breasts or drumsticks slow-cooked with ground toasted walnuts and pomegranate molasses.
Here’s a stew for fall! This recipe for chicken stew with walnut and pomegranate sauce is a classic of Persian cuisine: fesenjan.
Chicken chunks are first browned and then slowly cooked in a sauce with ground toasted walnuts and pomegranate molasses. They don’t usually think of making a sauce with walnuts and pomegranates, but it’s a perfect combination!
2:02
Pomegranate Chicken Stew with Walnut Sauce
The toasted walnuts are rich and warm, and the pomegranate molasses is pungent and berry. Slowly cooked with the chicken, the sauce is spectacular. Nap stain good.
The only ingredient that might be a little hard to find at your local grocery store is the pomegranate molasses. You can make your own using pomegranate juice (see our Pomegranate Molasses recipe) or look to Whole Foods or any store that stocks Middle Eastern ingredients.
Fesenjan (Persian Pomegranate Chicken)
Make your own pomegranate molasses by simmering 1 cup of pomegranate juice until reduced to 5 tablespoons of syrup.
ingredients
-
1 to 2 big yellow onionschopped, (3 cups)
-
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
-
3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
-
5 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
-
8th ounces walnut Halves (about 2 cups)
-
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs and/or breasts, trimmed of excess fat, cut into medium-sized pieces, patted dry and salted
-
2 cups chicken broth
-
2 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sugar
-
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
-
1/4 teaspoon Cinammon
-
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-
Salt
-
1/2 Cup fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish, optional
method
-
Roasting and grinding walnuts:
You can toast the walnuts in two ways. You can either spread them in a single layer in a large skillet and toast over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted OR you can spread them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.
In both cases, after roasting, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool enough to touch, puree in a food processor or blender until finely ground.
-
Fry the chicken pieces on all sides:
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.
When the butter has melted, pat the chicken pieces dry again and place the chicken pieces in the pan, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding, and fry until golden on all sides. Sprinkle the chicken with salt while cooking.
-
Sweat onions:
Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add chopped onions to skillet and sauté until translucent, stirring occasionally to loosen browned bits from bottom of pan.
-
Add chicken and broth:
Return the chicken pieces to the pan with the onions. Pour 2 cups of chicken broth over the chicken and onions. Bring to the boil, reduce to a low heat, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
-
Add ground walnuts, pomegranate syrup, sugar, spices, cover and cook:
Stir in ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar and spices. Cover and cook over very low heat for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so to keep the walnuts from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Remove from the heat and season with sugar/salt. At this point the chicken should be falling apart tenderly.
-
Surcharge:
Garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve with Parsi Pulao or another favorite rice.
Links:
Slow Pomegranate Chicken Salad by Lydia from The Perfect Pantry
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 568 | calories |
| 37g | Fat |
| 31g | carbohydrates |
| 34g | protein |
