Persian Style Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate

Persian Style Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate – my take on Fesenjan stew – with added veggies!

We have a homemade curry at least once a week at home. I use the term homemade loosely. Sometimes it’s completely from scratch (like this one), or if I’m in a really hurry (like 20 minutes until the kid’s have a hunger meltdown) I’ve no qualms with using shop-bought Thai curry paste.

Yesterday, fancying something a little bit different – but without it taking an age, I went back to one of my old posts, and gave the Persian curry I made a bit of a makeover.

Extra veggies (aubergines – yes, I got the kids to eat aubergines!!), peppers and red onion all added in to the classic version and topped with extra walnuts.

If you’ve never had Persian stew or Fesenjan before, it does sound a little odd. Pomegranate molasses, ground walnuts, cinnamon, chicken and stock, combined with a few other ingredients to make a savoury curry with a light sweetness. Although there are a couple of spices in there, there’s no chilli to scare off the kids, so it makes a great curry for everyone to enjoy.

Everyone went back for seconds, and then I caught the kids (who were supposed to be on washing up duty) mopping up the remnants straight out of the pan! So I guess that makes it a winner 🙂

The curry only takes 40 minutes from start to finish – and almost half of that is hands-off time, so it’s a good choice for a busy weeknight dinner.

The pomegranate seeds on top, although not vital, add a delicious, fresh crunch to the meal. I topped mine with a few lightly chopped walnuts too.

Hope you enjoy the recipe!! If you’ve tried my recipe then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes!
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The Persian Style Chicken Curry Recipe:

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4.86 from 7 votes

Persian Style Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate

By Nicky Corbishley

Persian Style Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate - my take on Fesenjan stew - with added veggies! Gluten Free too!

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Persian

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 medium brown onion peeled and diced
• ▢ 3 chicken breasts diced
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper deseeded and sliced
• ▢ 1 yellow bell pepper deseeded and sliced
• ▢ 1 small aubergine/eggplant chopped into bite-size chunks
• ▢ 90 g (3.2 oz) whole walnuts
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• ▢ 25 g (1/3 cup) ground almonds almonds meal - the grainy type, not the flour version
• ▢ ½ tsp turmeric
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ pinch of ground black pepper
• ▢ ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ▢ zest of half a lime
• ▢ 480 ml (2 cups) chicken stock use bouillon for gluten-free
• ▢ 2 tbsp honey
• ▢ 85 g (1/4 cup) pomegranate molasses **

To Serve:

• ▢ boiled rice
• ▢ or Cous cous
• ▢ seeds from half of a fresh pomegranate
• ▢ small bunch flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
• ▢ ½ small red onion peeled and thinly sliced
• ▢ 8-10 walnuts roughly chopped

Instructions 

• Melt the butter in a large frying pan/skillet and add the onions. Fry for 2 minutes and then add the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, until sealed, stirring occasionally.
  2 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 medium brown onion, 3 chicken breasts
• Add the sliced peppers and chopped aubergine and stir. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
  1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 small aubergine/eggplant
• Whilst the chicken and veggies are cooking, place the walnuts in a food processor and blend just until they turn to fine crumbs.
  90 g (3.2 oz) whole walnuts
• Add the walnuts, garlic and ground almonds to the pan and cook for a minute. Add in the turmeric, salt, pepper, cinnamon and lime zest, stir and cook for a further minute.
  2 cloves garlic, 25 g (1/3 cup) ground almonds, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp salt, pinch of ground black pepper, ¼ tsp cinnamon, zest of half a lime
• Add the chicken stock, honey and three-quarters of the molasses. Stir, bring to a gentle bubble and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  480 ml (2 cups) chicken stock, 2 tbsp honey, 85 g (1/4 cup) pomegranate molasses
• Taste the stew, add more molasses if needed. Cook for a further 5 minutes and then serve on top of boiled rice or cous cous.
  boiled rice, or Cous cous
• Top with pomegranate seeds, chopped parsley, red onion slices and chopped walnuts.
  seeds from half of a fresh pomegranate, small bunch flat-leaf parsley, 1/2 small red onion, 8-10 walnuts roughly chopped

Notes

To store in the freezer, allow the Persian stew to coo , then place in a sealed tub and freeze for up to 1 month (don't add the pomegranate seeds or parsley). Defrost in the fridge or at room temperature, then reheat in a pan until piping hot. Serve topped with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley.

** Sourcing Pomegranate molasses:
I believe in the US, you’d be able to get hold of it at any Middle Eastern or Kosher store. Amazon sells it, and I think you may find it at Walmart. It’s sometimes called pomegranate syrup.
Alternatively there are a couple of ways you can make it at home (sourced from UKTV.co.uk):
1. Squeeze the juice from a large pomegranate then boil the liquid until it has reduced to just two tablespoons.
or
2. Take 3 cups (720ml) pomegranate juice, 1/2 cup (100g) sugar and 1/2 cup (120ml )lemon juice and simmer until reduced to 1 cup (240ml).

.

Nutritional Information is per serving, without serving suggestion of boiled rice or couscous.

Nutrition

Calories: 592kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 788mg | Potassium: 1059mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 1230IU | Vitamin C: 99.7mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 2.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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