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    Home > Curries

    Persian Style Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate

    Published: Jul 5, 2017 · Modified: Mar 30, 2020 by Nicky Corbishley

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

    Persian Style Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate - my take on Fesenjan stew - with added veggies!Persian Style Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate in a cast iron skillet

    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.

    Overhead close photo of Persian Style Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate

     

    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.

    Persian Style Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate in a bowl with rice

    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.

    More Delicious Curry's

    Still hungry for more ?  How about my;

    • Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
    • Chicken Madras
    • Chicken Rogan Josh
    • Lamb Curry
    • Thai Green Curry
    • Slow Cooked Beef Curry
    • Butter Chicken
    • Chicken Tikka Masala

    All served with Boiled Rice, or Pilau Rice and Homemade Chapattis!

    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!
    You can also follow me on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and TWITTERto see what I’m up to in the kitchen, what recipes i’m loving, and of course YOUTUBE to see our latest recipe videos!

    The Persian Style Chicken Curry Recipe:

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

    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!
    4.84 from 6 votes
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Mediterranean, Persian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 592 kcal

    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 whole walnuts
    • 2 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
    • 25 g 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 chicken stock (use bouillon for gluten free)
    • 2 tbsp honey
    • ¼ 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.
    • Add the sliced peppers and chopped aubergine and stir. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
    • Whilst the chicken and veggies are cooking, place the walnuts in a food processor and blend just until they turn to fine crumbs.
    • 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.
    • Add the chicken stock, honey and three-quarters of the molasses. Stir, bring to a gentle bubble and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • 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.
    • Top with pomegranate seeds, chopped parsley, red onion slices and chopped walnuts.

    ✎ 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, ½ cup (100g) sugar and ½ 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: 592kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 43gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 788mgPotassium: 1059mgFiber: 5gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 1230IUVitamin C: 99.7mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 2.2mg
    Keywords Any Time Of the year
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Alicia says

      February 11, 2022 at 10:26 pm

      Couldn’t find the ground almold at the store. If I grind some almolds in a food processor would that be the same thing?
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        February 16, 2022 at 11:57 am

        Hi Alicia, for this recipes, yes, home-ground almonds should be fine. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Ari L says

      January 08, 2022 at 4:44 am

      I forgot the molasses does anyone know a substitute ?

      Reply
    3. Car says

      December 06, 2021 at 2:43 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe. Although I lightly sautéed the ground walnuts for about 5 minutes. Took away the bitterness. It was a delicious meal!

      Reply
    4. Grace says

      November 11, 2021 at 12:18 am

      5 stars
      I really enjoyed this recipe. I loved all the mixed flavors. I’m definitely trying it again. Thanks

      Reply
    5. juni says

      March 21, 2021 at 6:31 pm

      4 stars
      good, sweet, surprise, goodbye

      Reply
    6. Viv says

      October 23, 2020 at 11:34 am

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for this recipe, it was delicious! My five year old also loved it -she normally eats around capsicum and had never tried eggplant before, but she gobbled it all up.

      Reply
    7. saly says

      January 11, 2020 at 5:13 pm

      what is a brown onion?

      Reply
      • Chris Corbishley says

        January 13, 2020 at 7:39 am

        Hi Saly,

        Its what i would call a 'standard' onion 🙂 . They are also sometimes called yellow or white onions too.

        Thanks

        Chris

        Reply
    8. Susannah says

      October 28, 2018 at 6:14 pm

      This sounds amazing, but I'm allergic to walnuts! What could I replace them with? I can eat peanuts, pistachios, cashews... Or could I use something completely different?

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        October 28, 2018 at 7:48 pm

        Hi Susannah - pecans would work, or you could use pistachios or cashews if you prefer.

        Reply
    9. Ethel says

      October 25, 2018 at 1:33 am

      Can you make this as a crockpot meal?

      Reply
      • Chris Corbishley says

        November 14, 2018 at 7:46 am

        Hi Ethel,

        We have not tried it in the crockpot but with it being so quick to cook we wouldn't recommend this as a crockpot meal. You could make it ahead then reheat.

        Thanks

        Chris & Nicky

        Reply
    10. Luis says

      October 02, 2018 at 7:42 pm

      Looks great!
      Can you make this with prawns instead of chicken? Or vegetarian?
      Thank you.

      Reply
      • Chris Corbishley says

        October 16, 2018 at 9:06 am

        Hi Luis,

        You could replace the chicken with Tofu or you could leave out the chicken, cook the sauce and add prawns towards then end as they dont need as much cook time as chicken.

        If you do try please let us know how you get on

        Thanks

        Chris & Nicky

        Reply
        • Luis says

          October 16, 2018 at 9:15 am

          Great! Thanks very much for the reply.
          Luis

    11. Belinda says

      September 05, 2018 at 12:53 am

      I see no curry added????

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        September 05, 2018 at 9:54 am

        Hi Belinda,
        The recipe doesn't use an Indian-based curry powder. This Persian-style curry is a sweeter curry and the sauce is made from the turmeric, garlic, ground nuts, salt, pepper, cinnamon, lime, stock, honey and pomegranate molasses.

        Reply
    12. Stine Mari says

      April 25, 2018 at 10:01 am

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for this recipe, it looks amazing! And also big thanks for the recipe for homemade pomegranate molasses, as I can't find it in the stores here.

      Reply
    13. Navdeep says

      February 25, 2018 at 7:45 am

      How much would it modify the recipe if I skipped the pomegranate molasses?

      Reply
      • Kristene says

        September 17, 2019 at 8:37 pm

        I routinely make my own version of pomegranate molasses, just a simple reduction of the juice, nothing else. Juice is carried in the produce section of any supermarket (we have Pom brand here). It can be used as an ingredient in many other dishes, adding a pleasant, sweet-sour and fruity note. LOVE the recipe, thank you!

        Reply
    14. Molly says

      February 13, 2018 at 4:55 am

      5 stars
      This is a delicious meal! One of my favorite make at home curries! So easy and so full of flavor. I made my own pom molasses and used chicken thighs instead of breast.

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        March 23, 2018 at 4:58 pm

        Very impressed you made your own molasses Molly! Thanks for the comment 😀

        Reply
    15. Pamela says

      July 06, 2017 at 9:11 am

      This looks like a must for Friday night. If anyone has friends holidaying in TURKEY, ask them to bring you a bottle of pomegranate sauce back. It can be found in any supermarket along side the salad dressings.

      Reply
    Newer Comments »

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