Fesenjan
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2pounds (6 to 8 pieces) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves and thighs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 4cups shelled walnuts (about 1 pound)
- 1medium onion, finely diced
- 2cups pomegranate molasses, or as needed
- ½cup grated butternut squash
- ¼teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼teaspoon saffron, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
- 1 to 2cups chicken broth or water
- 2tablespoons sugar, or to taste
- Persian steamed white rice, for serving.
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
1098 calories; 63 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 32 grams polyunsaturated fat; 84 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 69 grams sugars; 55 grams protein; 1074 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.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper, and sauté in olive oil until lightly golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Step 2
Spread walnuts on a baking sheet, and bake until toasted, about 5 minutes. Once cool to the touch, rub walnut pieces between your palms to shed excess skin. Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped but not pasty. Transfer to a Dutch oven, and add onion and 2 cups water. Place over medium-low heat and simmer, partly covered, stirring it occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add 2 cups pomegranate molasses, sautéed chicken, squash, cinnamon, saffron mixture and 1 cup chicken broth or water.
- Step 3
Adjust flavor with sugar, salt and pomegranate molasses, so it is tangy but also a bit sweet. Simmer gently, covered, until the sauce is a dark walnut color with a layer of oil on the surface, 35 to 40 minutes. If the pan looks dry, add additional broth or water as needed. Adjust flavors again, and stir so the walnut oil is well mixed.
- Step 4
Bring the mixture to another gentle boil with the lid ajar, then continue to simmer on low heat until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 20 minutes. Make a final taste test, and adjust flavors to your liking.
- Step 5
To serve, stir so that the walnut oil is evenly absorbed. Serve hot with Persian steamed white rice.
Private Notes
Comments
Sugar should be added to taste. Sometimes the pomegranate molasses is too sour and it requires more sugar. Add about a cup of orange juice or a peel of an orange while the stew is simmering (remove before serving). It adds amazing yet subtle flavor. That's how my mom does it and she is famous for her delicious fesenjoon.
I made this according to the recipe, and it was inedible. Months later, I tried again with 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses, more squash, and only 1 cup of walnuts (to reduce the calories), and it was great.
This is DELICIOUS with some (minor) tweaks.
Suggestions:
- Toast the walnuts in the bottom of your Dutch oven then set aside.
- In same Dutch oven, heat oil, brown chicken, set aside.
- Cook onions (in same Dutch oven; one pot meal!) for 8-10 minutes; add walnuts for a few minutes more; then add rest of the ingredients with ~2 cups of stock.
- Briefly remove chicken and immersion blend the sauce before serving.
- I started with 1/2c of molasses, then added to taste. Used ~1c.
This recipe has one issue… you only need 1 cup of pomegranate molasses. This with 1/4 of brown sugar and I hit the right balance of tangy sweet that I’m accustomed to.
Wow!! What flavor!! I was frankly surprised how GOOD this was, because there don’t seem to be a lot of strong spices and flavors going into this stew. I didn’t expect the depth of deliciousness that I encountered. I did follow the lead to use 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses, which seemed about right for me. The stew had good tanginess and sweetness. In traditional fesenjan, how fine are the walnuts? I saw one person used a stick blender on the sauce, but I quite like the chewiness of the walnuts.
This is just weird-tasting. Flavors don’t meld. You have chicken with a ton of walnuts and a good, tart, but put-of-place sauce