Traditional-Inspired Fesenjoon Recipe

This rich walnut and pomegranate stew from Iran will keep you coming back for more, which is great because this fesenjoon recipe covers 10 meals to get two people through the week!

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I was talking to our Persian friends about food and asked what their favourite dish would be to share the highlights of Persian cooking, and they introduced me to this wonderful and flavourful walnut pomegranate chicken stew called fesenjoon (or fesenjan). And so, I want to share it with you.

This is a classic version using whole chicken drumsticks slow cooked to maximize tenderness and flavour, but you can skip an extra 30 minutes of simmering using cut boneless chicken thighs and substituting water with homemade chicken stock. Try making it this way at least once, though!

A couple of things to note:

1. Adding saffron directly to a dish might not impart as much flavour as you'd like, and is an expensive and disappointing lesson. You need to bloom the saffron first. I've heard about blooming the saffron in warm/hot water, but I've had the best success just sprinkling it over an ice cube or two and letting it melt.

2. It might be tempting to add all your water to the walnuts while you're blending - you need some liquid to deglaze the pan after sautéing the onions and searing the chicken.

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp saffron

• 2 ice cubes

• 10 chicken drumsticks

• 1 tbsp turmeric

• 4 cups walnuts

• 2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

• 1 stick of cinnamon

• 1 large onion

• 4 garlic cloves (more to taste)

• 3 cups of water

• 1 cup pomegranate molasses

• 1 tsp salt (more to taste)

• 1/2 tsp black pepper (more to taste)

• 2.5 cups of long-grain rice

Directions

• Crush your saffron strands and sprinkle over ice cubes in a glass. We'll come back later when it's melted

• Pour your walnuts into a food processor and blend until you have a walnut sand.

• With the processor running, add in about 1 cup of water. The paste should turn tan and be easier to stir.

• Toss your drumsticks in a large bowl along with the turmeric until coated evenly.

• Dice your onion and garlic.

• Heat a large pan, season with ghee, and roast your cinnamon for about 60 seconds.

• Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until soft and golden, about 5 minutes.

• Make room in the pan and add your drumsticks in an even layer, ensuring they touch the bottom. Sear on each side for about two minutes.

• Add your walnut paste and any remaining water, and mix thoroughly. Bring to a low simmer, cover, and leave it for about an hour - stirring every 15 minutes or so to stop the walnut from burning to the bottom. The sauce should turn a darker tan colour and the oils should start to come to the surface.

• Add your pomegranate molasses and half of your saffron bloom, and season with salt & pepper. Combine thoroughly and simmer on low for another hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

• Make your rice according to package directions.

• Separate 1/3 of your rice into a large mixing bowl.

• Pour the remaining saffron bloom over the 1/3 of rice and gently fold until it's evenly distributed.

• Serve combined with the plain rice as a saffron swirl, saffron triangle (pictured), or just in clumps.

• Add a fesenjoon drumstick and a generous helping of sauce, and enjoy!

Check out the video below for tips and tricks!