Meat & Seafood · African & Middle Eastern

Fesenjan

Name: Fesenjan
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 3 cup walnuts; 1 unit yellow onion (finely chopped); 1 tbsp olive oil; ½ tsp turmeric; 2 lb boneless chicken thighs; ⅔ cup pomegranate molasses; 3 cup water; 2 tbsp sugar, if needed; 1 tsp salt

9 ingredients · 120 minutes · 2 servings

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No porkNo alcohol

Contains: tree nut

Ingredients

Servings:

3 cup	walnuts
1 unit	yellow onion (finely chopped)
1 tbsp	olive oil
½ tsp	turmeric
2 lb	boneless chicken thighs
⅔ cup	pomegranate molasses
3 cup	water
2 tbsp	sugar, if needed
1 tsp	salt

Method

mix4 min
walnuts finely ground but not oily paste
Process the walnuts until very fine. Fine particles release oil and thicken the stew; large pieces leave the sauce thin and pebbly.
simmer45 min
walnut sauce darkening and visibly oily at edges
Soften onion in oil with turmeric, add ground walnuts and water, and simmer gently. Stir frequently as the sauce thickens so the walnut solids do not scorch on the bottom.
braise45 min
chicken tender and sauce spoon-coating
Stir in pomegranate molasses and chicken and braise gently until tender. The sauce should become dark, glossy and thick enough to cling to the meat rather than run like broth.
mix5 min
sweet-sour balance tastes rounded
Taste only after the sauce has reduced, then add sugar a little at a time if the pomegranate is aggressively sour. Brands vary widely, so final balance is a tasting decision rather than a fixed sugar dose.