Garlic Gold® Oil is great in so many cuisines, not just our Italian favorites! We even use it for our easy, one-pot take on fesenjan, the famous Iranian chicken dish. Whole pieces of chicken (whatever cuts you like) are simmered in a toasty, nutty sauce with walnuts and pomegranate. Rich and tangy, you’ll want lots of steamed rice to soak up the wonderful flavor.
This dish might sound complex, but there are really very few ingredients involved! Just head to your nearest health food or Middle Eastern grocery store for a bottle of pomegranate molasses, or order it online. Besides that one specialty ingredient, you likely have everything else you need in the pantry already.
Best of all is the aroma as this dish simmers on the stove — roasted Garlic Gold® Oil, toasted walnuts, and sautéed onions make your kitchen smell absolutely amazing as the chicken simmers to tender perfection. For an easy, balanced meal, serve the chicken over rice, with a dinner salad alongside. It’s impressive enough to serve as a dinner party dish, yet simple enough for weeknight cooking.
- 1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (legs, thighs, or breasts)
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup Garlic Gold® Oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup pomegranate molasses
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- In a food processor, chop the walnuts until finely ground.
- Liberally salt and pepper the chicken pieces on both sides.
- In a braising pot or dutch oven, heat the Garlic Gold® Oil over medium heat. In two batches, sear the chicken skin side down for five minutes, then flip and sear for another five minutes, until both sides are golden brown. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add the ground walnuts to the pot and stir until toasted and aromatic, about five minutes. Add the onion and sauté another five to ten minutes, until the onion is a bit softened and translucent. Add the cinnamon and stir for one more minute, until aromatic.
- Add the pomegranate molasses and broth, stirring to bring up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Gently place the chicken pieces back in the pot skin side down, ladling sauce over the top of each one. Bring the liquid up to a simmer, then turn the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cover from the pot. Flip the chicken pieces, ladle more sauce over them, and simmer uncovered until chicken is tender and sauce has thickened, about 30 more minutes.
- Serve the chicken over steamed rice, with pomegranate seeds and parsley sprinkled on top.
