Here is a stew made for fall! This Chicken Stew with Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce recipe is a classic preparation in Persian cooking, going by the name “Fesenjan”.
Chicken pieces are first browned and then slowly cooked in a sauce with ground toasted walnuts and pomegranate molasses. You might not normally think to make a sauce with walnuts and pomegranates, but it’s a perfect combination!
The toasted walnuts are rich and warm and the pomegranate molasses sharp and berry toned. Cooked slowly with the chicken, the sauce is spectacular. Bowl-licking good.
The only ingredient that might be a little unusual is the pomegranate molasses. You can make your own with pomegranate juice (see our recipe for pomegranate molasses), or look for it at Whole Foods or a store that carries Middle Eastern ingredients.
How to make Persian Pomegranate Chicken Stew
Persian Pomegranate Chicken (Fesenjan) Recipe
PrintMake your own pomegranate molasses by simmering 1 cup of pomegranate juice until it reduces to 5 Tbsp of syrup.
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 large yellow onions, chopped, (3 cups)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 5 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1/2 pound walnut halves (about 2 cups)
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs and/or breasts, trimmed of excess fat, cut into medium size pieces, patted dry and salted
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp plus 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Salt
- 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate arils for garnish (optional)
Method
1 Toast and grind the walnuts: You can toast the walnuts in one of two ways. You can either spread them out in a single layer in a large skillet, and toast them on medium high heat, stirring frequently until lightly toasted, OR you can spread them out in a single layer in a baking rimmed baking sheet, and toast at 350°F in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
In either case, once toasted, remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, pulse in a food processor or blender until finely ground.
2 Brown the chicken pieces on all sides: In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoon of 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 not crowd the pan, and cook until golden brown on all sides. Sprinkle the chicken with salt while they are cooking.
3 Sauté the onions: Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the chicken from the pan, set aside. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Lower the heat to medium low. Add chopped onions to the pan and sauté until translucent, stirring on occasion to release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4 Add chicken and stock: Return the chicken pieces to the pan with the onions. Pour 2 cups of chicken stock over the chicken and onions. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
5 Add ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar, spices, cover and cook: Stir in the ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar, and spices. Cover and cook on very low heat for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so to prevent the walnuts from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat and adjust sugar/salt to taste. At this point the chicken should be fall apart tender.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve over parsi pulao or other favorite rice.
Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to Persian Pomegranate Chicken (Fesenjan) on Simply Recipes. Thank you!
PrintThis post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
If you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #simplyrecipes — We love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter!
Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Persian Pomegranate Chicken (Fesenjan)
This dish came out so good was a little tart so I added lil more sugar. My clients loved it. Accompanied it with turmeric saffron rice,lentil spinach soup,persian salad, roasted eggplant spread with persian bread they loved it.
xxxxxyyyyy
Fantastic & yummy! Rather easy to make too!
xxxxxyyyyy
I have attempted a fesenjan recipe 3X prior to this one. They were not close to what I have eaten and cherished at restaurants…always a disappointment. Made this last night and it was like magic! This is what I’ve been served at the local middle-eastern restaurants (in San Diego, CA area). Super easy/simple recipe too. Fantastic and will be made again and again. Will try cutting the sugar in half next time, just for health reasons.
I did some reading on the pomegranate concoctions prior to cooking this recipe. The other recipes called for pomegranate “syrup” or pomegranate “concentrate”. This recipe uses “molasses” and I think that may be the secret ingredient since it has the tangy/tart taste. This recipe calms that taste some with sugar (but not too much). It’s that tangy’ness that has been missing. It makes the magic. Do try this. I have read this is a “festive” dish used for special events such as weddings.
xxxxxyyyyy
Pomegranate molasses is one of my most favorite “secret” ingredients in cooking, Middle Eastern/Mediterranean or not! Glad you enjoyed this, Andrew! Thanks for the comment.
The special dish for weddings is called Javaher Polow and I’m busy preparing the ingredients as I write as I have a dinner party tomorrow night. It is literally Jewelled Rice where the colors of the jewels are Pistachio Green, Sultana Yellow, Cranberry Red, Slivered Almonds White and of course fresh pomegranate seeds sprinkled over the top to provide the richness. I also do sugar caramelized zested strips of grapefruit, lemon, orange and lime so there are long threads of crisp sugary/tart goodies to give the whole dish a zing. I have just finished the chicken and can tell you that the pomegranate molasses is the secret. You can order it online through Amazon.
Made this tonight with vegan chicken/vegan chicken broth and it was incredible. The key is definitely cooking for a long time. Used Ichiza chicken (an amazing vegan restaurant in Portland, OR that sells their faux meats) as well as vegan smoked drumsticks on sugarcane bones. I used them the same way you said to use traditional chicken (although I was worried they would get too soft) and it was perfect. Based on some other recipes I saw, I cooked much longer (somewhere between 2-3 hours) and it was very rich and flavorful. Loved it!!
xxxxxyyyyy
I should also add, the comment about the finished product being light brown; my guess is, you didn’t let it cook down long enough. Every time I make this, I think I’ve done something wrong, because it takes a while for all of the ingredients to blend together, thicken, and look and taste right. Don’t rush it!
xxxxxyyyyy