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Per serving
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- 1
Grind the walnuts
Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they look like wet sand that clumps together. Stop before you hit walnut butter — you want texture, not a paste. This ground walnut is the entire backbone of the sauce, so it's worth a minute of attention.
- 2
Toast the walnuts
Tip the ground walnuts into a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat. Stir continuously for 2 to 3 minutes until they smell warm and nutty — do not let them scorch or the stew turns bitter. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
- 3
Sweat the onion
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over high heat, warm the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the diced onion and cook until it turns deep golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the ground turmeric and let it bloom in the hot oil for 30 seconds.
- 4
Sear the chicken
Add the bone-in, skinless chicken thighs to the pot and sear a few minutes per side, just to color them. Pour in the 3 cups of water and stir in the cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Lift the chicken out and set aside on a plate.
- 5
Build the walnut sauce
Stir the toasted ground walnuts into the simmering liquid. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so to keep the walnuts from catching on the bottom. The sauce will darken to a deep golden brown and a layer of walnut oil will float on top — that's the sign it's ready.
- 6
Bloom the saffron and sweeten
Crush the saffron threads with a mortar and pestle (or the back of a spoon) until you have about 1/4 teaspoon of ground saffron. Stir it into 1 tablespoon of water and let it bloom for a minute or two. Add the bloomed saffron, pomegranate molasses, and sugar to the pot and stir to combine.
- 7
Finish and season
Return the chicken to the pot, nestling the thighs into the sauce. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, or until the meat is falling off the bone. Taste and adjust — more molasses for sour, more sugar for sweet, salt and pepper to finish. Serve over basmati rice and scatter pomegranate seeds across the top right before bringing it to the table.
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Fesenjan (Persian Walnut and Pomegranate Chicken Stew)
Created by: SpiceRouteCooks
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs
- 3 cup water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads
- 3/4 cup pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp sugar
- salt
- black pepper
- pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Grind the walnutsPulse the walnuts in a food processor until they look like wet sand that clumps together. Stop before you hit walnut butter — you want texture, not a paste. This ground walnut is the entire backbone of the sauce, so it's worth a minute of attention.
- Toast the walnutsTip the ground walnuts into a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat. Stir continuously for 2 to 3 minutes until they smell warm and nutty — do not let them scorch or the stew turns bitter. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
- Sweat the onionIn a large stockpot or Dutch oven over high heat, warm the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the diced onion and cook until it turns deep golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the ground turmeric and let it bloom in the hot oil for 30 seconds.
- Sear the chickenAdd the bone-in, skinless chicken thighs to the pot and sear a few minutes per side, just to color them. Pour in the 3 cups of water and stir in the cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Lift the chicken out and set aside on a plate.
- Build the walnut sauceStir the toasted ground walnuts into the simmering liquid. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so to keep the walnuts from catching on the bottom. The sauce will darken to a deep golden brown and a layer of walnut oil will float on top — that's the sign it's ready.
- Bloom the saffron and sweetenCrush the saffron threads with a mortar and pestle (or the back of a spoon) until you have about 1/4 teaspoon of ground saffron. Stir it into 1 tablespoon of water and let it bloom for a minute or two. Add the bloomed saffron, pomegranate molasses, and sugar to the pot and stir to combine.
- Finish and seasonReturn the chicken to the pot, nestling the thighs into the sauce. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, or until the meat is falling off the bone. Taste and adjust — more molasses for sour, more sugar for sweet, salt and pepper to finish. Serve over basmati rice and scatter pomegranate seeds across the top right before bringing it to the table.