Persian Pomegranate Chicken (Fesenjan)
Persian Pomegranate Chicken (Fesenjan) Cancel reply
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Joe
This was an awesome dish. I cooked it for my woman and she couldn’t stop eating it. This is going to be in my favourite list of recipes!
Joe – Belgium
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Heather
Can I use red onion ?
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Elise Bauer
Sure! You can easily use red onion in place of the yellow onions.
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Shauna
This is crazy good. Its sweet, then its sour, then nutty and meaty. For me these were really new flavor combos and I loved it! I used chicken breast and it was not dry, just take care to simmer not boil it. I omitted 2 tsp of sugar because I was a worried about it being too sweet which was fine for us. Thank you for this recipe I will definitely make it again.
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Marina
OOOPS! I posted that the color was beige..you can remove that! As it cooked- it defintely gained color! Not as dark as the picture- but looks very appealing. And it tastes AMAZING!! Cooked it for a friends- Cannot wait to cook it for me!
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Marina
My dish is finishing the last phase of cooking right now. It does not look appealing like in the photo.Mine is very beige. I followed the directions exactly…I know that it will taste great- can’t beat the ingredients- but concerned on how it looks as I am cooking it for a friend who lost her son. Any suggestions?
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Christy
If it is beige, it needs more pomegranate paste. Should be on the darker side. Honestly, I love the taste and make it frequently, but it’s just not the best looking dish around.
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victoria
Delicious. Toasted walnuts in a toastRoven and used chicken breast. Dark meat would probably stay more moist. Don’t omit the pomegranate arils (seeds) or molasses. Everyone loved it!
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Elise Bauer
I’m so glad you liked it Victoria!
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Keely
Amazing! Taste just like the one at my favorite Persian restaurant
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Mina
I have made this quite a few times and it’s a wonderful recipe with unusual flavours. I have it with bulgur wheat and with some parsley on top. I have experimented with blueberry molasses and plum molasses, but I think the pomegranate is the best for this dish. I also have never felt the need to add any sugar to the molasses as it’s sweet enough, but lemon gives it a nice zing.
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Dr Mel
Just tried this tonight – it’s a real winner. We will be adding this to our regular recipes. We combined it with a bulgar wheat salad and sprinkled chopped mint on top, and served with yoghurt too. Instead of sugar, just put in a tb of date syrup which worked well.
Thank you!xxxxxyyyyy
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Hayley
My sauce is watery. Will it thicken during the cooking process?
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Emma Christensen
Hi, Hayley! Emma here, managing editor for Simply Recipes. Yes, your sauce should thicken during cooking. Check on it about 15 minutes before the end, and if the sauce still seems a little too thin for your liking, remove the cover and let it simmer uncovered to allow the excess liquid to evaporate.
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Christy Mohammadi
You can also add another 1/4 cup of ground walnuts if too watery.
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Betty
Very good. Would not use chicken breast, worry it would dry out, while thighs stayed moist. I used a non stick pan so could reduce butter and oil. Also, will use less stock next time for thicker sauce.
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Sharon M
I’ve already reviewed this recipe because its become a real favourite of mine. I’ve lost count of how many times Ive made it. There are lots of versions of this on the internet but this one works perfectly for me
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Celeste
I am making this dish for the second time. We loved it the first time and had to have it again. I didn’t have access to fresh pomegranates, so I drizzled some of the pomegranate molasses over the stew when serving. It certainly gave the dish a delicious brightness!
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Sherry R
Can you make this in a slow cooker after you brown and sautéed the onions. If so how long should it be cooked on low heat for.
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Elise Bauer
Hi Sherry, great question! I haven’t tried making it in the slow cooker so don’t know what to tell you. If anyone else reading this has, please chime in.
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Roma
You can absolutely cook it in a slow cooker. Just transfer it in the slow cooker after chicken is browned and onions fried. I then added boiling stock, covered and waited until it started to simmer. Added spices, walnuts and molasses after about 20min and left it on a low for about 2h. Kept it on warm until guests arrived!
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Renee Rothschild
Thank you for the many recipes I have found on your site, along with your charming presentation. Usually they are right on, but cooking boneless chicken parts an additional 1 1/2 hours after browning was too much. Next time, I will brown them first and remove; then return them later in the cooking process. Interesting taste combinations, and I had no trouble finding the pomegranate molasses.
I made this dish for some Persian friends and they were so happy and surprised with the flavor that they asked me for the recipe. They said it was exactly like the Fesenjan they used to eat back in Iran …
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Recipe as is was ok but needed quite a bit more seasoning, mine was a very light tan color. I added probably another 1/2 tsp cinnamon, another tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp extra pepper, plus used about 1.5 cups pomegranate arils (vs 1/2 cup) and another tbsp or so of pom molasses. Still didn’t taste as I remembered it as restaurants but with this it came out really nice.
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What a fantastic dish! The flavors awaken taste buds with subtle sweet and sour notes. The chicken becomes succulent and juicy when slow-cooked in the tangy stew. Our guests were all delighted.
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Whoa! This dish is amazing! It will definitely go into my regular rotation. Delicious!!
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Want to make this; some recipes call for butternut squash. Is that better than one without? Also can you make it the day before serving it?
Hi, Ada! I think it really comes down to whether you like butternut squash or not! I think squash would be a great addition to this recipe, but it’s also fantastic without. And yes, I think this dish would do quite well made a day ahead and then reheated. Enjoy!