Fesenjan (Chicken in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce)
A Persian autumn stew and a fixture of Yalda, the longest night — chicken simmered slowly in toasted ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses until the sauce turns almost black, rich and sweet-sour.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 300 g walnuts
- 1.2 kg chicken thighs, bone in, skin removed
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 150 ml pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper, ground
- 700 ml hot water
- 50 g pomegranate seeds, to serve
- 600 g cooked basmati rice, to serve
Nutrition (estimated)
high confidenceRecipe total: 7531 kcal · P 413.3g · C 575.9g · F 401.4g
Estimated from 13 of 13 ingredients
Approximate estimate, calculated from the ingredients.
Steps
Steps
- 1Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and lightly coloured. Leave to cool, then grind them in a food processor as finely as possible, almost to a paste.
- 2Put the ground walnuts in a heavy pot with the hot water, bring to a simmer and cook gently, half covered, for 1 hour, stirring now and then so they don't catch; the walnut oil slowly separates and the sauce darkens.
- 3Meanwhile season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken for 4 minutes a side; lift it out. Fry the onions in the same pan for 10 minutes until golden, adding the turmeric and cinnamon for the last minute.
- 4Stir the pomegranate molasses and onions into the walnut sauce, add the chicken, cover and simmer for 45–60 minutes, until the chicken is very tender and the sauce thick, dark brown and glossy with walnut oil.
- 5Taste and balance with the sugar: the sauce should be sour first, then sweet. Simmer for 5 minutes more.
- 6Serve over the rice, scattered with the pomegranate seeds.
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Questions and answers
How long does Fesenjan (Chicken in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce) take to make?
About 135 minutes: 15 min prep and 120 min cooking.
What ingredients do you need for Fesenjan (Chicken in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce)?
13 ingredients: walnuts, chicken thighs, onions, sunflower oil, ground turmeric, ground cinnamon, pomegranate molasses, sugar, salt, black pepper, hot water, pomegranate seeds and 1 more.
How many servings does this Fesenjan (Chicken in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce) recipe make?
6 servings. The servings buttons above the ingredients rescale every amount.
How many calories are in a serving of Fesenjan (Chicken in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce)?
About 1255 kcal, with 68.9 g protein, 96 g carbohydrate and 66.9 g fat. This is an estimate from the ingredients, not a lab analysis.
Which diets does this Fesenjan (Chicken in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce) recipe suit?
It is gluten-free.
What cuisine is Fesenjan (Chicken in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce)?
Fesenjan (Chicken in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce) comes from Persian cuisine.
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