Recipes › Pomegranate › Persian Fesenjan — Pomegranate and Walnut Stew
Persian Fesenjan — Pomegranate and Walnut Stew
Fesenjan is one of the great stews of Persian cuisine — chicken slow-braised in a thick sauce of ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses until the flavors become dark, complex, and utterly unlike anything else. A deeply special dish worth the effort.
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Ingredients
- cup pomegranate molasses
- cup pomegranate arils, for garnish (optional)
- lbs chicken thighs, bone-in, skin removedbutternut squash cubes for vegetarian
- cups walnuts, finely ground in food processor
- large yellow onion, finely diced
- cups chicken broth
- tbsp sugar, adjust to taste
- tsp ground cinnamon
- tsp ground turmeric
- tbsp olive oil
Contains: nuts.
Method
- Brown chicken in olive oil over medium-high heat, 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. Cook onion in the same pot until golden, about 8 minutes.About 15 min
- Add ground walnuts, cinnamon, and turmeric to the onion. Toast over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.About 3 min
- Add broth, pomegranate molasses, and sugar. Stir well and bring to a simmer.About 5 min
- Return chicken to the pot. Cover and simmer over low heat for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and dark and the chicken is tender.About 43 min
- Taste and adjust the sweet-sour balance with more molasses or sugar. Serve over basmati rice, garnished with pomegranate arils.About 3 min
Tips
- Grind the walnuts as finely as possible — they thicken the sauce and shouldn't be crunchy.
- Fesenjan should taste complex: tangy, slightly sweet, nutty, and dark. Keep tasting and adjusting.
- It genuinely tastes better the next day — make it ahead if possible.
Ring the changes
- Use duck legs instead of chicken for a richer, more traditional version.
- Substitute cubed roasted butternut squash for the chicken for a wonderful vegetarian version.
Keeping it
Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freezes well for 2 months. The flavor deepens over time.
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More from the same crop
Fesenjan is one of Iran's most celebrated dishes — a rich, deeply flavoured stew of chicken braised in a sauce of ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses that is simultaneously sweet, sour, nutty, and warmly spiced. Pomegranate is the heart of the dish, providing an irreplaceable tart complexity that builds into a sauce of extraordinary depth over hours of gentle simmering. This is heirloom cooking at its most magnificent.
1 h 50 min · medium · PomegranateChicken thighs are roasted under a sticky, sweet-tart pomegranate molasses glaze that caramelises to a deep, lacquer-like finish with an intensely fruity, slightly tart complexity. This is a recipe where pomegranate is the hero — not as a garnish but as the central flavour of the sauce. Served with jewelled couscous or flatbread and a scatter of pomegranate seeds, it is a stunning and memorable dinner.
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