Khoresh-e Fesenjoon (Persian Chicken Stew With Pomegranate and Walnuts)
- Total Time
- 3½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 1pound walnut pieces (about 4 cups)
- 6 to 8bone-in chicken thighs (about 2¼ pounds)
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- 1yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4cups cold-pressed pomegranate juice
- ¼cup good-quality pomegranate molasses, plus more as needed
- ¼teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
- 1 to 2teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)
- Pomegranate seeds, for garnish
- Polo Ba Tahdig (Persian Rice With Bread Crust), for serving
- Mast-o Khiar or plain yogurt, for serving
- Salad-e Shirazi, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
1000 calories; 80 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 43 grams polyunsaturated fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 36 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 1095 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts out on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown inside, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Step 2
Remove chicken skin and discard or save for another use. In a large bowl, season the chicken with turmeric, 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
- Step 3
Set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add oil and carefully lay chicken thighs into the pot in a single layer. It is crucial to leave space between the pieces to allow steam to escape, so brown chicken in batches if necessary. Cook until browned on both sides, flipping halfway through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Add onion to pot with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes.
- Step 4
In a food processor, grind the cooled walnuts as finely as possible without turning them into a paste. (Alternatively, you can chop the walnuts as finely as possible by hand.) Add 2 cups pomegranate juice and ¼ cup molasses to the walnuts and continue blending until you have a very smooth paste.
- Step 5
Add the walnut paste and remaining pomegranate juice to the pot. Season with salt and partly cover with a lid. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 2 hours. If the sauce begins to stick, stir in ¼ cup water. The sauce will thicken and change color as it cooks, turning a deep, dark brown, similar to mole poblano.
- Step 6
Add the saffron, and taste the sauce. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and pomegranate molasses as needed. The sauce should be delightfully sweet and sour, so add up to 2 teaspoons sugar, if needed, if it’s too tart.
- Step 7
Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until chicken is falling off the bone. Keep stirring regularly — the sauce should be thick, but not so thick that it sticks to the bottom of the pot, so add a splash of water as needed to prevent burning. Use a large spoon to skim away any walnut oil that has pooled on top of the stew. Taste and adjust seasoning, transfer to a serving dish and garnish with a sprinkling of fresh pomegranate seeds. Serve hot, with Persian rice, mast-o khiar and salad-e Shirazi if you like.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Jayme
You can make your own pomegranate molasses. Boil then reduce pure pomegranate juice until it starts to thicken. 16oz juice makes about 1/3 cup molasses.
Busy Mama cook
Can this be made using a slow cooker after browning the chicken? I can't imagine being able to stir the sauce frequently for 2-3 hours!
Hilary
This is delicious. I've also made a vegetarian version, using big chunks of butternut or kabocha squash -- either roasted in advance or just braised in the sauce.
NJR
Can this be made with breasts rather than thighs? I am not a fan of the dark meat flavor.
Shel
I’m not bragging or anything, but I had pomegranate molasses already in my pantry.😁
mliss
I can top that, I had some homemade pomegranate molasses in my fridge that I made for a bowl of fattoush. This is sad. I need to get a life.
Gerry
Made several of the recipes from this Persian connection for Memorial Day family gathering including this one. Followed recipe exactly but for cooking process. Was working with an unfamiliar gas range top and could not get a gentle simmer. Popped the chicken in the sauce, turned oven to 325F and braised for two hours. Fantastic. Will definitely make the dish again. It's a keeper.
Roni Jordan
It will be dry. Breast meat does not tenderize with slow cooking, it becomes dry unlike the thigh meat which is delicious in a braised dish. Think about what happens to the breast when you make chicken soup. You really ought to give thigh meat a chance. I was a breast-meat-only cook for years until I discovered how much tastier the thigh meat truly is. It's preferred by most chefs.
Andrea Vayda
Question -- what should be one with the browned chicken during the 2 hours that the sauce cooks?
Katia
Used boneless skinless thighs and did it in a slow cooker. Threw both the sauce and meat in at once. Three hours on low, then two on high because it was almost dinner time and the chicken wasn��t tender enough yet (we’re at high altitude though, so everything takes longer). Perhaps a slight compromise on flavor due to boneless meat and slow cooker tending to mute things, but worth not having to babysit the pot for three hours. Served with Samin’s Shirazi salad and plain basmati rice.
Loriltx
Super easy to make and cheaper especially if you don’t think you will use a whole jar anytime soon. Ingredients 4 cups pure 100% pomegranate juice (bottled or fresh) 2/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice Instructions Pour pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice into a small saucepan. Heat up over medium until the sauce begins to simmer lightly. Stir to dissolve sugar. Allow the liquid to simmer very lightly for 60-80 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, till the liquid reduces
Lisa
2nd note: I’ve saved the chicken skins, am thinking of crisping them up in the oven to add on the side/top of the dish, for some crunch texture....
Lisa
I’m making it now, in the simmer phase. A few comments: I took too much to heart the caution not to turn the walnuts into a paste, so I think they are a teeny bit coarse. Let’s see whether that affects the final result. I blithely added the two cups of pomegranate juice, which made the walnut-juice mix too watery to be called a paste. Next time I will add less at that stage, and maybe more later as the sauce cooks down. So far, smells heavenly!
sd
I 1st made a version of this dish over 20 years ago, tweaked from a Joan Nathan recipe. My version includes: chopping the walnuts fine in advance; toasting the walnuts on a low heat in a cast-iron skillet, stirring with a wooden spoon until change in the color, smell, texture at the bottom of the pan; adding the onion to that pan; adding tomato paste, orange juice to the pom. sauce. I don't add sugar. I don't cook with chicken anymore; this dish is 1 of the only things I miss.
RaoulJ
Good weekend cooking project. A couple of comments: add pomegranate juice slowly to ground walnuts to get a smooth paste, otherwise a little gritty. Watch out for stains form the turmeric & pomegranate juice (on plastic). Used boneless, skinless thighs (easier to find). Added a tablespoon of agave syrup as it was a tad tart. Unusual dish if you're not used to it, but delicious. Love the precision of Samin's recipes. Worked well with the cucumber salad and plain basmati.
nm57
One of the best recipes I've made in a while. Very rich and filling.
heatherz
Terrific recipe. SN is brilliant. Blending the pomegranate and walnuts, and using juice instead of only molasses and cooking longer, is an innovation on the classic recipe, and IMO it works beautifully. As long as you start with onions cooked rich and long and slow, chicken is optional. Fantastic just as is on good steamed basmati (chelo) w crispy crust (tahdig). Even better the next day. You can roast chicken (or duck) and serve it in the sauce.
Beth
This was amazing, and even better day 2. Made last night for a potluck at work today. No substitutions and followed directions exactly. Served with saffron rice. Used a crock pot to warm it up at the office. It was a huge hit, no leftovers at all. Definitely a special occasion keeper!
Sara Aase
Made this exactly as written despite wondering, do I really need chicken with skin? Will it be ok on the stove or better in the oven? (Sometimes maintaining the correct simmer seems impossible!) Simmered the paste for 90 minutes, when it reached the mole state as described. The dish tasted exactly as delicious as I’d imagined. I was so thankful for Samin’s thoughtful and thorough instructions!
Staci
Has anyone tried adapting this for the instant pot? thanks!
Holly Rubinstein
Can reduce pomegranate juice instead of pomegranate molasses but need to add some honey for sweetness. I used chicken breasts the first time and cooked slowly for 15 minutes on top of stove. Rice is good.
coffeespoon
Very delicious and very rich. It is positively magical seeing the sauce turn brown (around 1.5 h for me). Definitely have yogurt - it is a delicious counterpoint to the dish. Doesn't have to be Mast-o khiar - we had some yogurt with lemon and garlic on hand and that was great.
Alice
Love this, easiest and tastiest fesanjoon I’ve tried. Made vegan with seitan instead of chicken.
Ann O’Neill
Cooked this last night and absolutely loved it! I was on my own so I made a half recipe. It still worked perfectly but in a smaller pan the chicken would sit deeper in the sauce. While we are on the subject of chicken I will say I do not like dark meat; don’t buy it, don’t order it, don’t eat it. Until now. The sauce made it palatable, though I could do without any protein here. That sauce is a winner and I envision putting it on everything! Garnished with scallions, labneh and sumac. Yum!
Barbara
Incredible dish! I made it as written, with one exception. Noting comments from others, I added the chicken back in the pot right away with the walnut-pomegranate mixture, and it worked beautifully. (I had seen recipes for fesenjoon that called for this.). The meat was “falling off the bone”, and the sauce rich and delicious. Thank you for another great recipe!
Ellen
Emma made this with 2 cups of walnuts and chicken thighs cut up. Served over Basmati rice. Delicious
Lisa
Delicious as written!! I will make this again! I substituted bone-in cut in half chicken breasts. It worked perfectly. The instruction to cook the walnuts until they’re golden brown on the inside is confusing. I cooked them as indicated and the interior looked exactly the same color as an uncooked nut. So I cooked them a little more. No change. I just ground them anyway and it was fine. The sauce was already so thick that I kept the pot partially covered during most of the chicken cooking time.
magnamosa
delish and almost just as good as my wonderful persian friend makes it. didn't want too much sauce so used only about 3 cups of juice from trader joe's, not cold pressed but worked fine. amazing difference by adding a tbls of sugar, just what it needed. served with persian rice with yogurt and saffron tadig (just mix some rice, plain yogurt and saffron together and put in the pan first then cover it with the rest of the rice before steaming. comes out with a perfect crust) will do again!
Linda
This sauce is a revelation! I made an error of leaving the lid on instead of partly covered for almost all of the two hour simmer. Once I realized, I cooked the remaining time with the lid off- including when I put in the chicken. At first the sauce just seemed oily but it does come together beautifully. I needed two tsps of sugar, which surprised me. Pomegranate seeds are a must. I used 6 chicken thighs which just fit in my Dutch oven. Served with jeweled rice & Ottolenghi watercress herb salad
Luz
My friend, who is from Iran, makes it with almonds, not with walnuts, and she uses pomegranate syrup instead of molasses. En Minnesota, I'm able to find the syrup in African stores and now even at Walmart.
PepperPod
Thank you for this note! I want to make this for my book club luncheon but one member is allergic to walnuts. Great to know of the almond substitution.
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