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This Persian chicken curry is all about that rich, nutty sauce, sweet-tangy pomegranate molasses, warm spices, tender chicken and plenty of veg. Ready in 40 minutes and absolutely made for a big spoonful of rice. This is my take on a Fesenjan stew – with added veggies!
“Really good, restaurant quality. I did double the garlic, turmeric and cinnamon. Also used more onion, subbed 8oz of quartered mushrooms for the eggplant, used a little more salt and added a madhatter chili from the garden to add a bit of heat. Served with tahdig rice.”
Nicky’s Notes
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.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredient Spotlight: Pomegranate Molasses
If you haven’t cooked with pomegranate molasses before, don’t expect it to taste like a sweet dessert syrup.
It’s concentrated, fruity, sharp and slightly sweet – and that sharpness is exactly what makes it so good with the rich walnuts.
Different brands can vary in sweetness, which is why tasting the curry before adding the final bit of molasses is really important.
It’s increasingly easy to find in larger supermarkets, Middle Eastern food shops and online, and once you’ve got a bottle in the cupboard it lasts for ages and is lovely in dressings, marinades and glazes too.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Fry the onion in butter, then seal the chicken. Add the peppers and aubergine, then stir in blitzed walnuts, garlic, ground almonds, spices and lime zest. Pour in the stock, honey and pomegranate molasses and simmer until rich and thick then serve.
Recipe Tips
- Give the curry 5 minutes to sit before you serve it.
- I know it’s tempting to get stuck in straight away, especially once that rich pomegranate and walnut sauce is bubbling away looking all glossy and gorgeous, but a short rest really helps.
- The sauce should thicken slightly, the flavours settle, and the aubergine seems to soak up even more of all that lovely flavour.
- Then scatter over the pomegranate seeds, red onion, parsley and walnuts just before serving. That fresh, crunchy topping against the soft, rich curry is one of my favourite bits.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItEveryone 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.
🍽️ What to serve it with
For me, this needs rice. You want something to catch every bit of that walnut and pomegranate sauce.
Try it with my fluffy pilau rice recipe if you want something a little more aromatic, or plain boiled rice for a simple side that lets the curry do all the talking.
A warm homemade chapati is also very handy for scooping up whatever sauce is left on the plate.
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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Persian Style Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate
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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Persian Chicken recipe was first posted in July 2017. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
Is This Persian Chicken Curry the Same as Fesenjan?
Not quite.
Fesenjan, also written Fesenjoon, is a Persian stew built around walnuts and pomegranate, often with chicken or another meat. Traditional versions are generally cooked for longer so the walnuts have time to release their oils and the sauce becomes very rich and dark.
My recipe takes inspiration from those flavours but is designed as a much quicker dinner. I use diced chicken breast, add aubergine and peppers, and include almonds alongside the walnuts.
So I prefer to call this Persian-style chicken curry or Fesenjan-inspired chicken, rather than suggesting it’s a traditional Fesenjan recipe.
🍲 More ‘different’ Curry recipes
All served with Boiled Rice, or Pilau Rice and Homemade Chapattis!
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Really good, restaurant quality.
I did double the garlic, turmeric and cinnamon. Also used more onion, subbed 8oz of quartered mushrooms for the eggplant, used a little more salt and added a madhatter chili from the garden to add a bit of heat. Served with tahdig rice.
Note that it yields 4-6 good size servings, so you need a big skillet. I used a 12” Lodge cast iron.
I think I’ll try making it this week. My wife is allergic to bell peppers. Are there other veggies I can use as substitute and keep the flavor authentic?