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Meat, Maghreb and Middle East

Chicken fesenjan with rice

Fesenjan is a Persian chicken stew simmered in a walnut and pomegranate molasses sauce, served with basmati rice. For 4 people, it takes 1 hour 40 minutes, rates as medium difficulty, and costs €3.60 per serving. The key to success is the sauce, it needs to reduce slowly until it turns brown, thick, and nicely balanced between the pomegranate's tartness and the honey's sweetness.

Tonight we're trying a Persian gem, fesenjan, chicken simmered in a sweet and tangy walnut and pomegranate sauce.

Chicken fesenjan with rice
Total time
1 h 40
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€3.60
Calories per person
670 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter

Fesenjan surprises from the first bite, a glossy brown sauce as thick as velvet, where walnuts add body and pomegranate brings a tangy edge that wakes everything up. The chicken simmers in it for a long time and ends up falling off the bone, soaked in a sweet and savory sauce that rarely gets paired with chicken in Western kitchens.

This is a dish to plan for a Sunday or a weeknight when you have some time ahead, the long simmer does most of the work while you handle other things. It appeals to adults curious about new flavors and to guests you want to impress, a bit less to kids who usually prefer simpler tastes.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Chicken thighs 8

Pantry

  • Walnut halves 150 g
  • Pomegranate molasses or reduced pomegranate juice 5 tbsp
  • Cinnamonoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Turmericoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Honey 1 tbsp
  • Oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Basmati riceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 2

Allergens Tree nuts

The step by step recipe

  1. Dry toast the walnuts in a skillet, then grind them finely. 5 min

    Pulse in short bursts, over processing turns the walnuts into an oily paste.

  2. Brown the chicken with the sliced onions in the oil, add the turmeric, salt, and pepper. 12 min

    Remove the skin if you prefer a less fatty sauce.

  3. Add the ground walnuts, cinnamon, and 500 ml of water, cover, and let it simmer over very low heat. 50 min

    Stir often, the sauce sticks quickly to the bottom.

  4. Add the pomegranate molasses and honey, and keep simmering until the sauce turns brown, thick, and glossy. 25 min

    Taste it, there should be a balance between tart and sweet, adjust with more molasses or honey.

  5. Cook the basmati rice in salted water and serve it with the fesenjan. 12 min

    Rinse the rice several times before cooking, it keeps the grains separate.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick fresh walnuts, not stale ones, they're the backbone of the sauce's flavor and old walnuts turn everything bitter.
  • Keep the simmer very gentle and covered, a hard boil curdles the sauce and burns the walnuts at the bottom.
  • Make the sauce a day ahead if you can, it thickens and the flavors meld even better as it cools and gets reheated.

The variations

  • Swap the chicken thighs for duck pieces, which are actually more traditional in some versions of fesenjan.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with butternut squash dumplings or pumpkin wedges simmered in the same sauce.
  • To save time, use store bought pomegranate molasses and shorten the simmer to 35 minutes with boneless chicken thighs.

What to serve it with

  • Plain basmati rice
  • Flatbread like lavash
  • Cucumber and mint salad

Storage

Fesenjan keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, and it often tastes even better the next day. It freezes well for up to 2 months, sauce and chicken together. Reheat gently in a pot, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.

Questions about this dish

Can you substitute pomegranate molasses?

Yes, you can reduce pure pomegranate juice yourself over low heat until it turns into a thick syrup. Count on roughly twice the volume of juice to get the amount of molasses you need.

Do the walnuts need to be ground very fine?

Yes, finely ground walnuts give the sauce a smooth, velvety texture. Pulse them in short bursts to avoid turning them into an oily paste that would change the texture.

Can fesenjan be made ahead?

It's actually recommended, this dish improves after resting overnight in the fridge. Reheat it gently the next day and serve with freshly cooked rice.

Is fesenjan good for kids?

It depends on their taste, the sweet and tangy mix along with the walnut sauce can surprise younger palates. Serve the shredded chicken with a lighter amount of sauce the first time to ease them into it.

How long does it take to make a chicken fesenjan with white rice?

Count 1 h 40 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a chicken fesenjan with white rice?

About 670 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a chicken fesenjan with white rice cost?

About €3.60 per serving, or €14.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains tree nuts. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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