Fesenjan (Persian Pomegranate Chicken Stew)

Fesenjan (Persian Pomegranate Chicken Stew)

Fesenjan is a delicious Persian chicken stew flavored with walnuts and pomegranate. It’s a comforting dish for a cold day and perfect to make ahead too.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb chicken thighs - on the bone*
• 1 cup walnuts (100g)
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ large onion, diced
• ½ cup light stock (eg: chicken)**
• Salt and pepper, to taste (may not need salt, depending on your stock)
• ½ cup pomegranate molasses (syrup, or a little less, if it is very thick)
• Fresh pomegranate arils (seeds), if desired, to top

Instructions

• Remove the skin from the chicken and trim any excess fat.
• Put the walnuts in a food processor and grind until they are relatively fine, like breadcrumbs.
• Warm the oil in a pan wide enough to hold all of the pieces of chicken in a single layer and brown the chicken on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
• Add the diced onion to the pan and cook a few minutes, stirring now and then until softened.
• Add the ground walnuts and cook a minute or two to toast slightly.
• Add the stock to the pan, stir to mix and season with a little salt and pepper to taste.
• Return the chicken to the pan. Press the chicken pieces under the sauce and bring it to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat a little. Simmer for around 20 minutes until you see oils coming to the surface a little.
• Add the pomegranate molasses slowly, stirring as you add until the desired color and flavor is reached.*** Mix well and simmer gently for an additional 10 minutes. (Take care not to let the mixture burn on the bottom of the pan.)
• Serve, topped with fresh pomegranate arils (seeds), if you like, for decoration.