A delicious recipe for Fesenjan, a Persian Walnut Pomegranate Stew with chicken or chickpeas, or both! Earthy, rich and tangy, this luscious stew is bursting with Middle Eastern Flavor! Vegan adaptable. With a 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)
Introducing Fesenjan (pronounced FESEN-joon)- a classic Persian dish made with chicken, ground walnuts and pomegranate -earthy, tangy and deep, Fesejan 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!
This version can be made deliciously vegan with chickpeas! Or use chicken and chickpeas, if you prefer, as we have done here.
Origin of Fresenjan
Fesenjan originates from Northern Iran where pomegranates grow happily near the Caspian Sea. It is believed that pomegranates originated here and in the Persian culture, represented immortality and fertility. This traditional Persian stew dates all the way back to the Persian Empire (500 BC) and was often made on the night of winter solstice (called Yalda) the darkest night of the year. For more info on this beautiful Iranian winter tradition- visit here.
How to make Fesenjan | Video
Table of Contents
Fesejan Ingredient Notes
- 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.
This week I’m partnering with California Walnuts to create this cozy dinner. The addition of toasted walnuts gives the stew a wonderful richness.
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.
What To Serve With Fesejan
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Fesenjan Recipe 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
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 75 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- 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.
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
This was delicious and fun to make! It was my first time cooking with pomegranate molasses, and it was a complete flavor bomb in all the right ways.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Made this over the weekend along with Jeweled Rice as an early Purim celebration. I used lamb chunks instead of chicken but otherwise stuck to the recipe as written. It was wonderful! It will definitely be a repeat recipe for us.
Great to hear!
Great recipe simple to make but very impressive dish
Thank you
Glad you enjoyed this!
YES YES YES !!
I guess you liked it? Yay Anna!
Thanks for the feedback about the pomegranate molasses. So I ended up making my own which was straightforward enough. The final result is out of this world! Such wonderful flavours! I did the vegan version with chickpeas. I also added small florets of cauliflower at the same time as the chickpeas. I served it with Persian rice. SO good. It is better the next day so worth preparing in advance. Will definitely be making this again!
Great to hear Josie!
Really enjoyed this. Used honey rather than maple syrup in an attempt to maintain “authenticity.”
It was even better the 2nd day. On the second day we had some leftover mashed potatoes from another recipe. My husband LOVED it over the mashed potatoes. So much for authenticity! The pomegranate seeds added brightness in flavor as well as appearance.
Glad this worked for you!
I’d really like to make this but can I substitute normal molasses for pomegranate molasses? Thanks.
Hi Josie, the dish is really based on the pomegranate molasses – I wouldn’t replace it, totally different flavor here. 🙂
No, that’s a completely different flavor. You could reduce pomegranate juice if needed.
Hi Sylvia:
Is this a sweet dish? Or would you say that adding the maple syrup/honey is optional? My kiddo hates anything sweet for lunch, but the flavors are otherwise intriguing. But maybe the sweetener is really needed here.
It is not sweet overall, the pomegranate is quite tangy & sour, so it balances it.
This recipe looks wonderful! I just watched a beautiful movie, “Taxi” by the Iranian director, Jafar Panahi, who I understand is sadly now in prison. So have been thinking about Iran and now your recipe, which looks delicious – so thank you!
Thinking however, about crumbled tempeh and mushrooms for a vegan version. Thoughts?
Yes, that would work- the chickpeas are good too. 🙂
Would love to try this this weekend. How do I make saffron-infused basmati rice? Your basmati rice recipe doesn’t use saffron.
Hi Mary- just add a pinch of saffron and salt to the cooking water!
This is one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. The flavors are very warm and soothing. Each bite builds and gets even better.it is the perfect cold weather food!
Thanks Cindy-glad you liked this!
Wow, this has to be one of my favorites from your blog. Complex flavor and just the amount of brightness with the pomegranate seeds.
So happy you like this Sarah!
My family made this after reading a book about a young boy who immigrated from Iran. He talked passionately about this recipe so we had to make it! It was super tasty, and the recipe was easy to follow!
Awesome Ingrid- great to hear. What was the book? Just curious?
I wonder if it was Everything Sad Is Untrue, which happens to be how I landed at this recipe myself. 🙂 It’s simmering now!
Oh interesting! I will have to look this up. I do like the title.
Recommend the book—just as I can now recommend the recipe 🙂 made it for a second time in 3 days, it was so delicious! Thank you!!
Oh good Amanda! Thanks so much, and I will will look for it. 🙂
It is clear you have heard this many times, but this dish is excellent! I added some sauteed King Trumpet mushroom slices, and half of a Serano pepper, chopped. I have a happy family tonight! Delicious!
Awww…. thanks, Joseph! Always love hearing form you!
I really NEED to make this, but my husband only likes chicken legs. Is it possible to use whole (not chopped up) chicken legs in this recipe and should I adjust the cooking time?
Yes, that should be fine! Give them a really good sear on all sides- then nestle into the stew. They should cook through in the 45 mintues, but use a themometer to be sure. 165F
Thank you! I made it this last weekend and it is absolutely terrific. It’s already become a firm favourite with us!!!
Great to hear Carol!
What is a good substitute of maple syrup for this recipe?
Honey!
When you say saffron infused rice
…how much saffron is a.good amount
If your saffron is deeply red, a small pinch should suffice, if it is more golden or orange, then a large pinch. 😉
could you use pistachios in place of walnuts? xxxx
Hi Alex! I have not tried this with pistachios, and can’t really picture it here. The walnuts break down into the sauce, not sure pistachios would do the same?
How ever did you get such a rich, dark, and vibrant color with this recipe? I cooked my version with chickpea and cauliflower–no chicken–slowly for a long time. Did forget to save some pomegranate seeds as garnish.
Very tasty yet a very dull medium brown color. Even the orange peel strips were dull. For this photo and/or when you serve the fesenjan, did you garnish the dish with fresh orange strips?
Froze some–also tasty a few weeks afterwards.
Did you make your own pomegranate molasses or use store-bought?
I made my own pomegranate molasses…cooked in heavy duty saucepan, stirring, and watching carefully as it reduced.
So when I used store-bought mine seemed more vibrant and then less so when I made my own. Perhaps that is it?
That is probably the cause–the home made produces a lighter color. And my other question: did you use a color filter when taking the photo and in your photo, did you use fresh orange peels as a vibrant garnish…in addition to the orange peels that were part of the Fesenjan cooking process?
I don’t use a filter….but I have may have added extra orange peels at the end- I can’t quite remember but it looks like it. 🙂
Hello! Could this dish be cooked the day before?
yes, for sure!
Diversifying what I cook. Getting globally inspired by the lovely people and culture that makes up our world our nation. Embracing our melting pot of food and people and cultures. My teen son has made a new friend. She’s a military daughter of a U.S. Navy officer born and raised in Iran. I got my inspiration from their friendship as my son has very few true friends. Just wanted to know more about their customary foods and culture and attempt to show my appreciation by cooking a comfort food they have familiarity with. My sons new friends dad is currently on a six month deployment so I just wanted to show appreciation using food as my passion is cooking.
Love this Todd! A very sweet and thoughtful gesture.
I’ve been wanting to make this dish for years but thought it was too intimidating. This recipe was very doable and it was delicious!
Great to hear!
I made this last night for guests and it was delicious! I ended up using double the amount of pomegranate molasses to get that tangy taste and served it with saffron rice. To start I made roasted cauliflower (was trying for steaks but my cauliflower did not cooperate) with romesco sauce from this site – also a great recipe.
Perfect Kathyrn!
Hello Sylvia,
I very much enjoy your recipes and have made several of them. I did want to bring up a comment on the importance of cultural credit and appropriation, especially when being inspired by so many world cuisines and dishes, as the case with Fessenjan. It would be great if you could include either more about the history of the dish and ingredients or culturally specific food blogs that share some of these foods. For example, using maple syrup is not a traditional ingredient, so a bit more context on this being your version would be great, while also ensuring that we are being responsible on the origination of these foods and others that have been advocating/publishing such recipes. Thank you!
Hi Mariya- you are absolutely right and I updated the post. Thanks for pointing this out. 🙂
Much appreciated, thank you!
I made a vegan version with 4 portabellos diced up and added after the spices (could also have gone in before that with the garlic but I thought that would make the pan too wet to get a good toasting effect onthe spices). I let them saute a while to get some browning before adding the liquid. For those who want it to look as dark as yours portabello gills help, although it still lightened up when I added the broth and ground walnuts.
Next time I would grind the walnuts clear to nut butter. There will definitely be a next time–love this.
Thanks, Barb, love the mushroom addition. How was the flavor?
Yummy! I ended up adding a bit more cumin (< 1/2 t.) and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper–wanted a little more heat. Served on quinoa.
Perfect Barb!