Fesenjan is a delicious Persian Walnut Pomegranate Stew made with with chicken or chickpeas, or both! Earthy, rich and tangy, this luscious stew is bursting with Middle Eastern Flavor! Vegan-adaptable.Video.
When we let go of insisting that we are who we think we are and that the world should give us exactly and only what we want, all things shine forth.
John Brehm (The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy)
This Fesenjan recipe (pronounced FESEN-joon) is a classic Persian dish made with chicken, ground walnuts, and pomegranate -earthy, tangy, and deep; Fesenjan is soulful and oh so satisfying.
The flavorful sauce is sumptuous and rich from the ground walnuts, with a pleasant tanginess from the pomegranate molasses. The warming spices of turmeric, cinnamon and nutmeg add a whisper of the exotic, transporting you away to far-off places. And if you get the balance just right, Fesenjan is downright swoon-worthy!
Chef’s Tip: Our version can be easily be made vegan with chickpeas! Or use a combo of chicken and chickpeas, if you prefer, as we have done here.
Origin of Fesenjan
Fesenjan, a stew from Northern Iran near the Caspian Sea, is made with pomegranates, which symbolize immortality and fertility in Persian culture. This dish dates back to the Persian Empire (500 BC) and was often prepared on Yalda, the winter solstice.
How to make Fesenjan | Video
Table of Contents
FeseNjan Recipe Ingredients
- walnuts– earthy and rich creating so much flavor depth.
- chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) or sub chickpeas
- spices: turmeric, cumin, cinnamon stick (optional), cinnamon, nutmeg– magical flavor.
- orange zest– bright and tangy.
- chicken stock– or sub veggie broth.
- pomegranate molasses (or make your own- see notes)– this will set apart this dish, creating amazing exotic flavor.
- pomegranate seeds– beautiful and tasty for garnishing.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Fesenjan
STEP ONE: It starts with toasting 2 cups of walnuts which will become the base of the sauce. Using fresh walnuts (that are not bitter) is essential here.
Grind the toasted walnuts.
TIP: It is important to use fresh walnuts for this recipe, and I wanted to share how I keep nuts fresh by storing them in the freezer.
Freezing the walnuts keeps them from getting bitter.
STEP TWO: If using chicken, cut them into bite-sized pieces and brown and set aside. Keep in mind, you can keep this vegan with chickpeas!
STEP THREE: Caramelize the onions and garlic. Take your time here…this is where the flavor is developed.
STEP FOUR: Add the fragrant spices and toast them for a few minutes, intensifying the flavor. Add the orange zest.
Orange zest and Pomegranate Molasses both give this a tangy brightness.
STEP FIVE: Add the Pomegranate Molasses.
Pomegranate Molasses can be found in specialty grocery stores and ethnic markets, and sometimes in the ethnic section of your grocery store, but if you can’t find it, just buy a little bottle of POM, (pomegranate juice) and make some at home – by reducing the juice in a saucepan.
(Just an FYI – it is easiest if you make the Pomegranate molasses ahead, as it takes 45-55 minutes to reduce on the stove. See recipe notes.)
STEP SIX: Add the broth, the ground walnuts and the chicken and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
STEP SEVEN: Add the chickpeas. A quick note- you can also make this without the chickpeas- just add more chicken. See notes!
STEP EIGHT: Reduce the stew uncovered, until thickened, and the oil begins to rise and shimmer on the top.
STEP NINE: Garnish with fresh pomegranate and parsley.
Serve this with saffron-infused basmati rice or Tah Dig (Persian Rice).
I really love the adaptability of this stew. The flavorful toasty walnut base is sumptuous and luscious and really can be paired with many things.
Serving Suggestions
Storage
Fesenjan will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge and can reheated gently on the stovetop. Freeze for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More Favorite Persian Recipes
FAQS
A traditional Persian dish with chicken simmered in a ground walnut and pomegranate molasses sauce-earthy, tangy and deeply delicious.
Regular molasses is from the left over process of making refined sugar. Pomegranate molasses is pure reduced pomegranate juice.
Walnuts are high in oil and can go rancid quickly if not stored properly, which results in an unpleasant bitter and acrid taste. Buy your walnuts as fresh as you can and store in the fridge or freezer for a longer shelf life and more nutrion!
The perfect way to celebrate winter solstice or delicious any time of year. Hope you love this Fesenjan Recipe as much as we do.
xoxoxo
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
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Fesenjan Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 75 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: Chicken, Stew
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Persian
Description
A delicious recipe for Fesenjan, a Persian Walnut Pomegranate Stew with chicken and chickpeas. Earthy, rich and tangy, this is bursting with Middle Eastern Flavor!
Ingredients
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1–1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs ( boneless, skinless) or see notes for vegan options
- generous pinch salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil plus 1 T butter (divided)
- 3 cups yellow onion, diced ( 1 1/2 onions)
- 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- orange zest- 3 large strips (1/2-inch x 2-inch slices -see photos!) use a veggie peeler.
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth ( or sub veggie)
- 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses or syrup (or make your own- see notes)
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 can chickpeas ( drained, rinsed) optional, see notes.
- serve with saffron infused rice or Tah Dig ( Persian Rice)
- Garnish- chopped Italian parsley and pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven over medium-low heat and toast the walnuts, stirring every couple minutes, until golden, roughly 10 minutes. At the same time, chop the onions and garlic. Cut the chicken ( if using) into 1 inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Drain and rinse chickpeas if using.
- Set toasted walnuts on a plate to cool. Then place in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
- Wipe out the Dutch oven and drizzle with a little oil and sear the chicken until golden. Set aside. Using the same pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, golden and fragrant, about 5-6 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 3-4 more minutes. When onion garlic mixture is deeply golden, add the cinnamon stick, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin and orange zest, and toast for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add the broth, sraping up any browned bits. Add pomegranate molasses, maple syrup, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt, the seared chicken, ground walnuts and bring to a boil, stirring.
- Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 45 minutes, covered, stirring every 15 mins.
- Uncover, add chickpeas, and continue simmering until the stew has thickened and reduced, 10-15 more minutes, stirring.
- Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley.
- Serve with saffron-infused basmati rice, quinoa, or Persian Rice.
Notes
- If you can’t find pomegranate molasses, make your own by pouring 1 cup pomegranate juice, 1 tablespoon maple, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and a pinch salt into a small pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium-low, and simmer for 45 minutes until reduced to 1/4 of a cup. Set aside to cool.
- If substituting chickpeas for the chicken: Use 2 cans ( 3 cups) rinsed and drained, and add to the stew, after it cooks for the 45 minutes. Alternatively, you could also use 1 can chickpeas and cauliflower florets.
- If you don’t want to use chickpeas, increase chicken thighs to 2 -2 ¼ pounds.
- Fesejan tastes even better the next day- make it ahead for a gathering. Leftovers keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator or freeze for 6 months!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 532
- Sugar: 6.7 g
- Sodium: 1031.3 mg
- Fat: 37.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.8 g
- Fiber: 5.7 g
- Protein: 23.2 g
- Cholesterol: 71 mg
Hi
I have been cooking with your recipes and enjoying it for a long time. I am Persian and have been cooking Fesenjan for a long time.
It does not have chick peas, it needs more pomogranit paste or molasis and no orange zest.
just wanted to let you know.
Thanks
Sima
Thanks Sima, yes the chickpeas are a vegetarian option for those who don’t eat chicken. I will have to try pomegranate paste- I have not seen that!
I love this recipe and have made it 3 times now. It is hearty and warm and perfect for winter.
I don’t love chickpeas, so I make it without. Do you think I could sub the chickpeas for brown/green lentils? How would you recommend I adjust the recipe if using lentils in place of the chickpeas?
Thanks Lindsay! Yes, I think lentils would be yummy here. I would cook them separately and add 1 ½ cups cooked lentils towards the end of cooking the soup.
This is, quite possibly, one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten! I found myself wanting to lick out the pot as I was putting the leftovers away. I wasn’t so sure as it was cooking because of the unappealing color and texture and the smell of unfamiliar spice combinations. However, one taste and I was smitten. I really took the time to sear the chicken pieces and then to slowly caramelize the onions before continuing on with the recipe. I will be making this again and again.
So glad you gave it try Kayleigh! Thanks for taking the time to rate and review.
Made it for the first time for a party and discovered how many slight variations there are on what I thought was almost the national dish of Iran, and some of them were quite watered down, like using poultry seasoning on the chicken and no other spices. Absolutely delicious. I just wish it didn’t look like someone ate it and had it not agree with them {haha, meaning they threw it up, that was supposed to be funny!}
The fresh pomegranate seeds and parsley can help with that. 😉
Delicious! It takes a long time to make, even with shortcuts (buying pre-diced onion, etc…), but it’s worth it!
Glad you enjoyed it! It always goes faster the second time around. 🙂
So glad I found this recipe after trying another one which was less subtle, thank you, it was a great success
great to hear!
This was a surprisingly filling stew! I eat it for lunch and it keeps me full well past dinner. I accidentally bought cherry/pomegranate juice to make the molasses so maybe I missed out on some pomegranate flavor, but I just added half a pomegranate worth of seeds mixed into the stew when serving for extra crunch and flavor. I will definitely be making this again!
Glad it worked out and thanks for the review!
What a fantastic recipe. I really enjoyed this and will be making this again soon. Thank you for sharing.
Great to hear this David!
I’ve made this at least a few times now after trying Persian restaurant for the first time and falling in love with the heady spices of this previously unheard of cuisine. I could be wrong but I get the feeling that I’ve played with it by adding the juice from the orange to the stew as well but every time it’s turned out just beyond delicious. It’s the first dish that I’ve made that my mother in law has genuinely wanted the recipe for. Thank you for sharing ❤️
Amazing to hear, so glad you are enjoying!
This is such a delicious and hearty dish! It’s our second time making it, it only gets better!
What are your thoughts on making this ahead a day before a dinner party? Would the flavors get richer, or would it be bitter because of the walnuts?
Glad you are enjoying Claudia! I feel like the leftvovers get better with time, so making ahead should be fine!
I tried this recipe after wanting to expand my cuisine and was delighted with this dish. The flavors of the walnuts and pomegranate compliment each other so nicely with the nuttiness and slight bitterness of the walnuts and the tangy sweetness of the pomegranate molasses.
So glad you gave it a try Lauren!
Delicious! Mine always comes out super light brown, not like the dark color pictured. Any ideas why? I added more molasses and still light. Thanks!
I am not sure- I do cook this for a while and it darkens the longer it goes?
Delicious! We served with dill rice.
Great to hear!
This Fesenjan was so incredibly good! I even went to the effort of making my own pomegranate molasses (although I initially let it simmer too long and made pomegranate toffee!! but all I needed to do was add a little more juice to the mix and it reverted back to molasses in consistency…phew!) I made a nice big batch of the delectable stew so that we could enjoy it for a couple of meals. Thank you for this show-stopping recipe, Sylvia!
Oh my goodness, I love your perseverance with the pomegranate molasses! So happy you enjoy this Rennie, thanks for the review!
So so good! First time I tried this dish was about 10 years ago at my friend’s for Persian new year dinner – this was even better than I remembered!
Wonderful Elizabeth, so glad you enjoyed!
I’d love recommendations on what to serve on the side. It’s so thick and rich, I’d love some veggies with it
Something light- like the Lebanese Slaw?
This is one of my all-time favorites! Absolutely delicious!
Wonderful to hear Anna!
Thank you for this recipe. I made this in the slow-cooker. It took about half an hour to get everything together to just simmer away on high (about 3 hours). The meat was falling apart, the walnuts added a rich creaminess and the flavor profile was really interesting. We really enjoyed it.
I happened to have all the ingredients on hand except the orange peel which I subbed with some ground lime peel.
So glad you enjoyed Toska!
Wow! The combination of ingredients and spices are amazing together. We will be having this again! Very easy to prepare and I am assuming it will be just as good or even better tomorrow.
Great to hear Stephanie!
Would this recipe work if I made it with chicken breast? Should I use bone in or boneless if I go chicken breast? Would the meat be to dry?
I hesitate to reccommend, I think it would dry out with the time the stew needs to cook.
Thanks
Simply amazing. Now I had my doubts, but it was truly a dish that both my husband and I loved.
So glad you gave it a try!
I was just serching about how other peapole think about my coutry, iran.
So suddenly i visit your site-Try ka-bab koo-bi-deh to find real heaven!!! Love you from iran🇮🇷
Thanks Negar- we love your food! So much flavor.
Persian FIL and family loved this dish. Thanks!
Deviations from recipe-
1) did not add chickpeas, cinnamon stick, orange zest, or maple syrup
2) only added the first portion of chicken, did not cut into small pieces.
I was able to make the walnut paste with an immersion blender (after trying to make it by hand for two hours 😆).
Very straightforward and delicious recipe.
Glad you were able to make this work for you!
This is an INCREDIBLE RECIPE. 10/10. I’m thrilled to use this in a regular rotation. I cook most nights and love trying new cultures and techniques and the walnuts in this recipe will change your life, and introduce you to a whole new way of using them
So happy you enjoyed this, Gabriella!
This is amazing! I really can’t believe how good this dish tastes, and is truly a winner. I’ll definitely be making it again!
Great to hear!
I can’t believe how amazing this was. We made with just the chickpeas. The flavors are beyond anything you can imagine. Easily made the pomegranate syrup per your instructions. Family is already talking about next time! I am eager to search through your other recipes now. Thank you for this wonderful meal!
So happy you gave it a go- yes, I almost prefer it vegetarian!
I’ve made your recipe so many times. The flavors and textures are beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing!
thanks so much!