Fall is the pomegranate season, and I feel it is the perfect time to share my Fesenjan, or Fesenjoon recipe (chicken stew with walnut and pomegranate sauce). Beautiful red ripe pomegranates are available in most supermarkets. This jeweled fruit is the wonder of nature and makes you think about the intricate design that nestles precious gems that delight you with every pop when you bite into them. I have always been infatuated with the color and taste of pomegranates and grew up eating them every fall. My dad would buy a box of pomegranates and I did my share to help finish them. Besides tearing the skin and eating the fruit inside, I also loved to wash the pomegranate and squeeze it until it was all soft and then poked a hole on the side and sucked the juice until it was dry. The freshest pomegranate juice ever! Try it next time and see for yourself.
The recipe that I’m about to share is called Khoresh Fesenjan that combines two super foods that their nutritional benefit has come to light in this part of the world in the recent years: Pomegranate and walnuts. The flavor is like no other, it is tangy with a hint of sweet. The walnuts add a wonderful nutty taste to make all the flavors come together in a rich sauce. Khoresh Fesenjan is served over saffron rice and is made using several different methods: Some make it with small meatballs, some with turkey, and I make it with chicken. The common ingredients used in all of these methods are walnuts and pomegranate concentrate, which is a thick syrup that gets all the credit for the amazing tangy sweet flavor of this recipe. My preferred brand is Sadaf with a taste that has just the right sour and sweet balance.
Process the walnuts until you have a tan colored walnut paste
With the processor running add water in a slow stream until you have a beige colored walnut paste
This is what it looks like up close
Fry sliced onions or use the fried onions from your freezer like I do and add it to the chicken
Spoon the walnut paste evenly on the chicken
Add the pomegranate concentrate, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Cover and simmer until the chicken literally falls off the bone. So good!
When ripe and delicious pomegranates are in season, sprinkle some juicy sweet seeds on Khoresh Fesenjan for garnish & Enjoy it over saffron rice.
- 1½ large yellow onion sliced thin and fried golden brown in 3-4 TBSP vegetable oil (or 5 ounces fried onions)
- 2 pounds skinless chicken drumsticks or thighs (4-5 pieces)
- 8 ounces walnut halves (about 2 cups)
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 cup pomegranate concentrate
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- Pomegranate seeds for garnish
- FOR THE PERSIAN STEAMED RICE; refer to the complete illustrated instructions and recipe on the How-To page.
- Pick through the walnuts for any shells, and add to a food processor and process until it turns to a tan-colored paste.
- With the food processor running add ¼ cup cold water through the feed chute. Continue processing until the paste becomes uniformly beige in color.
- Fry the sliced onions with 3-4 TBSP vegetable oil in a 6-Qt stockpot until golden brown. Remove from the pot.
- Add chicken to the same stockpot and top it with the fried onions.
- Spoon the walnut paste evenly over the fried onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle the pomegranate concentrate over all the ingredients.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat. The pomegranate concentrate tends to stick and burn fairly quickly so avoid high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Now reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for an additional 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is fork tender and falls off the bone. Stir every 15 minutes or so to make sure the sauce does not stick to the pot. If at the end of this time period the sauce has not thickened enough, leave the pot uncovered for about 10 minutes on low heat for a thicker sauce. Transfer the Fesenjan to a serving dish and sprinkle some pomegranate seeds on top as garnish.
- Serve over white Persian steamed rice.
Pomegranate molasses: This is more sour than the concentrate and in case this is your only option at the market, just add 1-2 tsp sugar.
This chicken looks delicious and wow that sauce looks incredibly flavoursome!
Thalia thank you so much for that nice comment. I hope you try the recipe, it is delicious!
Can you make it with pistachios or another nut? I love this dish but if I eat a full serving the walnuts bother my mouth?
Hi Evelyn, I have always cooked this stew with walnuts; however, you might be able to get a similar result using blanched almond paste.
I’d be very hesitant using almond with this dish. Blanched almond paste would be far too rich in combination with the duck flesh and the pomegranate.
Hi Tony, some cooks prefer to use almonds for its lower fat content or simply for a different taste, though personally I prefer the texture and taste of walnuts in fesenjan.
You can also grate an apple which will decrease the effect of the walnuts
Hello Homa,
Was wondering whether traditionally the walnuts are toasted or untoasted before making the paste?
Hi Lev; It’s a personal preference; I really enjoy the flavor of toasted walnuts in other recipes, but I feel that when toasted and stewed they add an oily taste to the stew that I don’t care for. Hope you’ll try it both ways and let me know which one you like better 😉
Should I add water to the pot when cooking the chicken?
Hi Shira, No you don’t need to add any extra water. Right after you add the chicken with the rest of the ingredients, bring it to a boil over medium heat and then reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer. Good luck.
I just made this recipe for my family tonight & it was a hit! Thank you very much! My parents have been out of Iran for over 10 years now & it felt like a little piece of Iran was delivered in our kitchen tonight. Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes!
Dear Haddi, thank you for the lovely comment. It is wonderful to hear that my recipe brought back warm memories of home, that means a lot 🙂 I hope I hear back from your when you try my other recipes as well. Happy cooking!
It was the first Persian recipe I tried and in fact the first Persian meal I ate. It was very easy to cook and it tasted extraordinary for European taste. It was perfect, I liked it very much.
I guess “Koresh” is the word for “Stew”?
Hello Anna, it is a pleasure to have you visit my blog. I’m so happy you liked my Khoresh Fesenjan recipe, and you are correct the type of Persian stews that are served over rice are called “Koresh.” Thank you for your very nice comment.
This sounds amazing. now, what if I can’t find the pomegranate concentrate? Could I reduce pomegranate juice on the stove to make a “syrup” of sorts?
I want to try this recipe. I find Persian cuisine fascinating.
Dear Analida,
Thank you! I think you will love this recipe. Yes you will be able to make pomegranate concentrate (syrup) by boiling the juice on the stove in a heavy bottomed pot. You will need about 64 ounces of juice to make 1 cup of concentrate.
The concentrate is also available online. I use the Sadaf brand, http://www.sadaf.com/sadaf-pomagranate-concentrate-34-5660/
Can I substitute the walnut butter for almond butter?
Just not a huge walnut fan! Thanks! Making this tonight – can’t wait.
Hello Anna, I have never used almond butter in Fesenjan; however if you prefer to use it instead of walnuts, I would suggest grinding blanched almonds (no brown skin). I’m very interested in hearing from you about how this turns out, please keep me posted 🙂
Nooshe Joon “enjoy”
Hi Homa, I am making this recipe tonight for the second time! It is soooo delicious. Just wondering if you can cook it in an oven instead of on the stove top, or even in a slow cooker? Have you ever tried either method? Can’t wait to enjoy it again.
Dear Travel Magnolia, I’m happy to hear that you’re cooking Fesenjoon again! I have never cooked this recipe in the oven. However, I made it in the slow cooker once. It was delicious but the sauce never thickened the way I like it; slow cooker keeps all the moisture in. If you really need to make it in the slow cooker, after the chicken is tender and cooked through, cook it on high setting without covering it until the sauce thickens. I just like the pomegranate and walnut sauce sticky and awesome 🙂 Let me know how it turns out and Nooshe Joon!!
Hi, can I use pomegranate molasses in this instead of the purée?
Thanks
Hi Lyn, I have used pomegranate concentrate in this recipe which is almost identical to the pomegranate molasses. Sometimes molasses is a little bit more sour than the concentrate, so depending on your taste preference you might want to add a couple of teaspoons of honey when using molasses. I’m very happy you’re making this recipe, it is one of my favorites 🙂 Enjoy it!
Hi Homa,
I am about to attempt this dish for the first time. I have never had Iranian cuisine, but I have heard amazing things about this dish.
I have looked up quiet a few different recipes and found that a lot call for some spices such as turmeric, allspice and cinnamon where yours don’t have them.
What is the difference with those. I would like to make it the authentic Iranian way.
Thank you 🙂
Tammy
Hi Tammy, I love spices but they have to be used judiciously and in the right recipe. This recipe does not need spices to taste delicious. No extra water is added and the chicken slow cooks in the sweet tart pomegranate concentrate and it is awesome. Everyone who has tried this recipe has loved it and I am confident you will agree. I hope you let me know what you think once you try it. Thanks for your comment.
Dear Homa,
I am planning to prepare fesenjoon for a Norooz celebration for a large crowd, many of whom are vegetarian, and would like to use your recipe which looks beautiful. Will it work to prepare it without chicken and substitute a vegetable, or perhaps to serve it over some roasted veggies? Any suggestions for preparing this for about 100 people?
Thanks for any ideas you have!
Alice
Hello Alice, I think this sauce will go well with baked eggplants: http://persianmama.com/baked-eggplant/ . However, since I have not tried this before, I would suggest making a small batch and decide for yourself before making it for a lot of people. So here it is: Cut the peeled and quartered eggplants to 3-inch pieces then follow the instructions for baking them, set them aside. Prepare the sauce on the stove top with fried onions, ground walnuts and pomegranate concentrate over low heat until it thickens a little bit. Add the baked eggplants to an oven safe dish and pour the sauce over them. loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven. I hope this works for you and please do let me know how it turns out.
I lost my Persian mother before I could learn all of her recipes, and fesenjan is one that has alluded me. I am going to try your version. Her noon khamei and shirini napeloni were famous, and I see you have recipes listed for those too. Thank you for creating this blog.
Dear Brisa, thank you for your heartfelt comment. I’m sorry for your loss! I welcome you to my blog and hope that you will enjoy my recipes. This fesenjan recipe is loved by everyone who has tried it, I hope you will too. I would love to hear back from you with your comments about any of the recipes that you try.
I am planning to prepare this for out of town visitors who are coming soon. Could I prepare all the ingredients as you’ve explained but cook it on low in a slow cooker? (this would remove the step of bringing to a boil over medium heat, and I am not sure if that would be OK)
Hello Brisa, I made this recipe in a slow cooker once; it tasted great, but the sauce did not thicken as much as I like! However if you have to use the slow cooker, I suggest that after the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender, leave the lid off and switch the temperature to High for 20-30 minutes , or until the sauce has the thicker consistency that you like. Stir occasionally and keep an eye on it so it does not stick!
I am writing to report back after trying this recipe. I did make a few tweaks, but I finally feel that I have mastered this recipe after 8 years of failed attempts from a recipe written on a scrap piece of paper and given to me by my dearly departed mother to whom I cannot ask questions of clarification. I used boneless chicken thighs because I have small children and tiny chicken bones sometimes get lost in this dish. Clearly, bone-in chicken is more flavorful. Also, I used 2 parts walnuts ground into the paste as you describe above with 1 part almond meal or ground almonds for a bit of lightness. Your description and photos of the grinding process and precise instructions on cooking/stirring to avoid sticking is perfect. I ended up with a lovely velvety sauce that is very enticing. Another tweak I made, because my chicken was boneless, is that I sauteed it separately and added it during the last half and hour. I used a few TBsp of saffron water to deglaze the pan with chicken and fried onions. Do you think saffron is useful in this dish?
Dear Brisa, I really appreciate to hear back from you with all the fun stuff that you’ve done with this recipe. Everything sounds wonderful and I’m so happy that you finally feel comfortable with the texture and flavor of the sauce. You were right to add the boneless chicken after sauteing it first and then adding it at the last half hour since it cooks so fast. Oh, I absolutely love the idea of deglazing the pan with liquid saffron; that sounds like a lovely addition. There are not too many Persian dishes that would not get even better with saffron!! Thanks again for your comment on my Facebook page 🙂
Hi Homa, I will be cooking this incredibly delicious dish for the first time today and have marinated the chicken thighs overnight in a marinade made of olive oil, caraway seed, fresh garlic paste and a little lemon juice. I intend to sear the chicken first to seal in the juices and then proceed as you suggest. I can’t wait, I had a brilliant Iranian boyfriend when I was a wee 18-year-old and his mother used to cook this, naughty of me to say but I dare say her cooking was possibly one of the reasons we remained friends for so long! Many thanks
Hello Cintia, I loved reading your comment; I don’t think it’s naughty at all, eating good food can be a spiritual experience and relationships thrive on that 😉 I wish I could taste your version of my recipe; sounds delightful. Please let me know how it turns out. Thank you and enjoy!!
Dear Homa,
I am from Afghanistan and I love fesenjan. Tomorrow I will make this delicious food for a group of refugees in Berlin. Can’t wait. Thanks for the delicious recipes.
Dear Shalli, you are so welcome! It makes me incredibly happy that you’re making my fesenjan recipe for a humanitarian cause. Our world needs more people like you my dear, thank you!! Fesenjan is one of my favorite foods too 🙂
Dear Homa,
your recipe is awesome, I tried it for the first time for my family and really loved it. I also love the way you explain things, and the printing option at the end. I am wondering if I could use ground beef or lamb instead of the chicken. I think I heard somewhere about meatballs, would you know a recipe for that?
Thank you Katja, it is always wonderful to hear from my readers who enjoy following my blog and try the recipes. I have never made this recipe with ground beef or lamb, but you may make your favorite meatball recipe, then add the sauce ingredients and maybe 1 1/2 cups of beef broth and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Thank you SO much for sharing these incredible recipes. I really want to learn
how to cook Persian foods and become familiar with the spices and techniques.
This is one of my favorite dishes so am thrilled to try my hand at it.
Question: If you were to substitute lamb or duck as the chosen meat would you
cook it the same way? If not how would prepare those meats for this dish?
Also, is it okay to fry the onions in olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
Dear Calan, you’re very welcome! I personally have always made this recipe with chicken simply because it needs minimal preparation with amazing results every time, and yes the onions may be fried in olive oil. I will briefly go over the prep for lamb and duck meat:
Lamb: Saute the cubed lamb meat with diced onions and turmeric until golden. Simmer in some water until tender but not fully cooked, depending on the size of pieces this will take from 45 minutes to couple of hours. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe and cook until the lamb pieces are completely tender. The pomegranate paste burns quickly, so add small amounts of water at a time if needed.
Duck: This meat is a lot fattier than chicken, so it is recommended to brown the pieces on all sides and keep the fat for another use if you wish (it is quite yummy but combined with the oil from the walnuts, the stew will become almost too rich). Since the duck meat takes longer to cook than chicken, you will need to add some water to the recipe and keep checking it to prevent the sauce from sticking and burning. Cook until the meat falls off the bone.
Fesenjan is one of my favorite foods to eat and really the only time I am able to enjoy it is when I eat out at a local Persian restaurant. However, I decided to try out your recipe yesterday and used Pomegranate molasses (what I had in the pantry) and followed your easy instructions and it came out awesome!! It is a little tarter than I am used to but the flavor and texture is incredible! So yummy! Thank you for including your recipe on the web. Easy to follow along, great pics and super informative.
I will try making Persian Steamed Rice next. 😉
Hello Lisa; Nooshe jan! I’m delighted that you enjoyed your homemade fesenjan. I believe the original concentrate (not the “torsh”) will be to your liking; molasses tends to be on the tart (er) side and some people add a tablespoon or two of sugar to compensate for that. Thank you so much for writing to me; please keep in touch and let me know all about your rice experience!!
I don’t have a food processor. Any suggestions for alternatives to walnut paste? Perhaps crushed whole walnuts?
Can’t wait to make this recipe – it looks delicious & simple, plus I love fesenjan! 🙂
Hi Emma, crushed whole walnuts will work; the sauce will be more chunky than what you see in the pictures, but it will still taste good. I would suggest chopping the walnuts as fine as possible with your knife. If you own a mortar and pestle you could mash the chopped walnuts into a paste; however, it is fine if you don’t. Bon appetit!!
Homa,
I am making this for a crowd next weekend. My roommates years ago were from Iran and one used to make this–I love it! What I’m wondering is what, besides rice, should I serve with it?
Hi Carolyn, I would recommend a side of Salad Shirazi (http://persianmama.com/cucumber-tomato-salad/). Fresh herbs, if you have Iranian guests (http://persianmama.com/sabzi-khordan-fresh-herbs/). A mixture of yogurt and chopped cucumber with salt, pepper, chopped fresh or dried dill is also a good side to serve with most Persian foods.
Salad Olivieh is a good side and an Iranian favorite for a crowd (http://persianmama.com/salad-olivieh-persian-chicken-salad/). Another option is coleslaw (http://persianmama.com/creamy-coleslaw-salad-kalam/) or this grape salad (http://persianmama.com/chicken-and-grape-salad/)
I hope I’ve given you enough options for sides, but if you want to make a second entree, please let me know. Happy cooking 🙂
Thank you so much! I have had Salad Olivieh and it’s great to have the recipe. I think I will serve it with fresh herbs and feta on a plate and the yogurt/dill/cucumber (I love this too).
Appreiciate your rapid response!
Best,
Carolyn
Good choice! Have fun and enjoy your party 🙂
Dear Homa,
I have chicken fillets which cook fairly quickly. When should I add it to the recipe. Should I sauté them before adding.
Thank you so much.
Dear Afsoon, make the sauce without the chicken but add a small amount of chicken broth so it is not too thick, but let it simmer for half hour or so until it is uniform and delicious. While the sauce is cooking, lightly season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and saute until lightly golden, then add them to the prepared sauce and simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside and flavorful.
Dear Homa,
Thank you for your quick reply.
🙂
,,This is the most delicious dish you ever cook”, as my husband said, after he tried fesenjan last weekend 🙂
Persian Mama, thank you so much! Fesenjan is marvelous!
I used turkey thights meat this time.
How wonderful Asta! It is so nice when our family appreciates our hard work isn’t it? I thank your husband too 😉 Turkey thighs are a great substitute with a different flavor in most chicken dishes. Thank you for letting me know!
Salam Khalehjoon, I’m a long-time lurker and avid fan of the recipes in your beautiful blog! I live in India and while pomegranates are very easy to come by, pomegranate molasses / concentrate is virtually unheard of – I can’t even seem to find it on Amazon India! Pomegranates are mostly directly consumed as a snack-y fruit here; sometimes their dried seeds (anar-dana / anar-daneh) are used as a souring agent in some dishes. Any suggestions on how to manage a home-made pomegranate concentrate?
Hello Niko, so wonderful to have you here from India! Thank you for your kind words.
You will be able to make your own concentrate by simmering the juice of several pomegranates over medium low heat. Hard boil gives it an unpleasant taste, so just let it cook slow until it reduces and has a syrupy consistency. If your pomegranates are very sour, you might add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar to your khoresh. I hope this works for you and I’m looking forward to hear back from you about your pomegranate concentrate and your fesenjoon,
Homa, Yesterday I happened upon your blog while searching for a recipe that might include chicken and pomegranate. How lucky I was to stumble upon your blog. After reading this recipe for khoresh fesenjan this morning I set out to buy what I needed to put this recipe together. No pomegranate concentrate to be found in my little town in Florida so I cooked down a 24 oz bottle of pomegranate juice with a bit of sugar, to about one cup of syrupy goodness. I’d never heard of khoresh fesenjan until yesterday and had never eaten khoresh fesenjan until an hour ago. Oh my! Absolutely delicious!
Hello Jim, welcome to my blog! So happy to hear about your delicious experience. I absolutely love making homemade pomegranate concentrate and I have recommended it to many of my readers in your situation. I hope you try some of my other recipes and get more acquainted with the delicious Persian cuisine. Please keep in touch and let me know what else you are cooking! Thank you..
I noticed you don’t toast the walnuts before grinding them. Is there a reason for it? I’m going to make your recipe this evening for my family this evening!
Hi Neha, I love toasted walnuts in salads and kuku sabzi, but they add an extra flavor to the khoresh that I don’t care for, and the texture is never as creamy. So I recommend skipping that extra step. Have fun tonight and enjoy your fesenjoon 😉
Hi Homa,
First, thanks a lot for the yummy recipes and lucid explanation, makes it so easy!
We have relished Persian cuisine having lived in SoCal for a long time. Now that we are back home in India we miss it a lot!
So when I got a hand press juicer, first thing in mind was pomegranate juice and Fesenjan!
I made it with Chicken, but like someone else mentioned, getting pomegranate concentrate is hard in India, so I used fresh juice, it turned out pretty good for first time.
Can you please confirm that to get 1 cup concentrate we need to reduce ~8 cups of fresh juice, 64oz as suggested by you.
Again, please keep up the good work and heartfelt thanks from all of us here.
Cheers!!
Hello Vinay; you’re so welcome! It is really nice to read your nice message here. Yes to make about 1 cup of concentrate you’ll need to reduce 8 cups of pomegranate juice over medium low heat. If the pomegranates are on the sweet side, you will end up with a sweet and sour tasting molasses, which is the perfect taste for this khoresh. However, with more sour pomegranates the resulting molasses will be sour and in that case you might want to add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar to the khoresh at the same time that you’re adding the molasses. I hope you write back and let me know how this works out for you.
Thanks for the confirmation, I will try and let you know!
Salam Homa jon,
Thank you so much for this amazing Fesenjoon recipe. I am quite familiar with Persian cooking & have been cooking for family & friends for many years. This past Christmas Day, my husband’s family who are from Spain came to our home for lunch. Let me say my husband & his mom are gourmet chefs & they also think Persian food is one of the richest cuisines in the world(my husband thinks Sangak is the best bread ever created!!!). Henceforth, you could see the challenge I was facing!!! I chose Fesenjoon as one of the main dishes, somehow found your blog & let me tell you what a blessing it was… I was making Fesenjoon before many times & my mom’s recipe, God bless her soul, was always the best, but believe me reading your recipe & following the pictures step by step & combining that with my mom’s did the magic!!!!! The dish was mouthwatering, they could not get enough of it!!! Your love & passion for food is going across the miles & putting smiles on peoples’ faces! Thank you once more for sharing your gift with us… Wishing you a happy, healthy & prosperous 2017 🙂
Salam Fariba jan; It gives me great pleasure to read that my recipe was a part of your Christmas Day meal and that it was approved by the food lovers in your family. I agree with your husband, sangak is the best 😉 Thank you so much for your kind words and I likewise wish you a fantastic new year full of fun and memorable moments.
Please keep your recipes coming Homa jon, as I have twins that are just about 2 years old now & are starting to taste my Persian cooking! My daughter looooooved your fesenjoon & wanted more 🙂
Salam Homa,
You have a fantastic page which I’ve visited many times. I was born in Rasht, Iran where this dish is very often served. My family and I live in Germany and my mother who is German cooks Iranian dishes very often. I love fesenjoon or fesenjan. We cook it a bit different. First we fry the onions in a bit of olive oil before adding the ground walnuts to it and fry it for several more minutes while stirring it nonstop. Before that I prepare a tomato stock using four peeled tomatoes which are cooked and mashed in a bit of water, or a small tin of tomato puree dissolved in water (to this I add the salt, pepper and turmeric). After the walnuts get a bit golden in the pan, I add the tomato stock to it with the chicken and some lime juice.
Now I get to the point.
We mostly use the pomegranate paste in the next level (3 spoons).
Pomegranate paste is difficult to obtain.
We now mostly use apple molasses. The result and taste are the same from my point of view.
Have you tried any other concentrates than the pomegranate?
Many greetings from Niederrhein Germany
Dariush
Dear Dariush, salam! Lovely to have you visit my blog from Germany and wonderful to hear that your mom enjoys Persian cuisine. I really like your version of fesenjoon and will try it sometime to taste how my friends from Rasht cook it. I have never tried any other concentrate, but I have heard of some cooks using date syrup for a sweeter version. I can’t say I’ve ever tried apple molasses before, but I’m guessing it must be tangy in flavor and I will look for it next time I go to a specialty store. Thank you for sharing your recipe with me. Please keep in touch and have a great weekend!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I made it for dinner last night, and it was both easy and delicious. I have been looking for a recipe that would yield a dark stew with rich flavor, and this was definitely it! I did toast the walnuts before processing them, but otherwise followed your directions exactly. My only regret is that there weren’t more leftovers!
Lauren thank you so much for writing to me about your lovely fesenjan dinner; next time you will have to double the recipe 😉 You will find many other delicious recipes here and please let me know when you try them. Have a great weekend.
My husband’s on a “diet”, and personally I don’t believe in these temporary diets where you just feed on quinoa and salad greens and slices of chicken breast everyday. Coming from LA, and being a mix from a variety of cultures I know our traditional food is not only healthy and delicious but has lots of nutrients, and you’re not lacking on the flavor or missing “real” food because you’re already eating it. I exposed him to a healthier lifestyle and make foods where you don’t dread the diet. Recently I’ve been on a “chef’s block” lately and just was too lazy to think about other foods to make. Remembering how much my husband loves Saffron, I headed to your blog and bookmarked recipes I thought I could make over the course of the month, this recipe being one of them. So this is just my way of saying thanks for being there and thanks to Iranians for having delicious food ?
Btw Homa, what company in Iran do you buy your saffron from? Is it bulk or do they come prepackaged. Or if you reccomend a brand, I’d love to buy. As my husband’s a pilot, we get Spanish saffron from Dubai’s airport but I feel like it isn’t that great.
Hello Asiya, I really appreciate your love for Persian food and your kind words about my blog! I agree, most Persian recipes are very healthy and suitable for many diets while being very delicious and natural, with fresh ingredients. I use Saharkhiz saffron directly from Iran; it comes in small red envelopes. I have seen the same brand saffron being sold online; however I have not tried the online ones myself. I hope if you try it, it will be what you’re looking for. Please keep in touch and write me about your kitchen creations.
Hi Homa, what a wonderful coincidence I decided to buy some herbs and things I can’t find in Saudi Arabia through Sadaf’s website and stumbled upon Saharkhiz. Now I’ll for sure buy it. Thank you 🙂
Oh that is good to hear Asiya; please let me know how it compares to the Spanish saffron that you’ve tried.
Salam aleykum, this was the first time I cooked fesenjan for my mom and my aunt. For dessert we had fereni. Now we have a new favorite dish ?
Thank you so much for the recipes can’t wait to try another one.
Salam dear Bella! I’m very happy to hear that; thank you for writing to me and please keep in touch. Have a great weekend.
Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe. After reading through the comments, I decided to try to make it in the oven as opposed to the stove top and it turned out amazing. I did have to add a little tiny bit of water because the sauce got too thick. I love the idea of grinding the walnuts to make a paste. I made this recipe a few years ago to celebrate Nowruz, but I like your recipe better! Thanks again!
Dear Corinne, Happy Nowruz! Thank you for writing to me with your success story, I’m delighted to read your comment. Please keep me posted with your other kitchen adventures 🙂
Dear Homa,
I had some almond butter that I needed to use up, and I think the recipe tasted pretty good. (Someone in an earlier post mentioned using a nut other than walnuts) I still think walnuts are the best, but almond butter was a good substitute, and it saves a step. I made sure to look on the ingredients list of the almond butter to make sure that there was no extra sugar.
Dear L.Hashemzadeh; I’m glad your khoresh tasted good with the almond butter. Thank you for your comment; I’m sure this will be helpful for those who prefer to use another nut.
Have a great weekend.
Delcious meal! I just made! Thank you for sharing your recipe!! Now to find your ghormeh sabzi!
Hi Homa,
I made this khoresh for Sunday dinner, but I wanted to be like Shamshiri in Westwood so I tried to make it with lamb shanks. I quickly realized that there is no way the restaurant cooked the shanks in the sauce (mine wouldn’t even fit in the pot right), so I pulled them out and braised them in the oven with some water for two hours. I put a little chicken broth in the sauce and cooked it for short while and then added the boned lamb at the very end. We found the sauce a bit strong – I think stewing the chicken in there would have made a big difference in mellowing the flavors. I had to add sugar because I’m still using the pomegranate molasses.
Then, after all that effort, my toddler refused to eat more than a couple bites! I’m not sure if the lamb or the sauce was too strong for her but she turned her little nose up for the first time at Persian food! Mama had to eat it all. :o)
So next time I’m making it exactly according to your instructions with bone-in chicken and the pomegranate concentrate. I can say though that your sauce tasted very similar to Shamshiri and I see how it would have been very tasty if I’d followed your recipe properly!
Hello Allison; thanks so much for sharing your experience with all of us. I have never made this recipe with lamb shanks, and I’m sorry that your toddler didn’t like it after all the work that you must have put into this dinner. This is a very popular recipe, and I have a feeling that all of you will enjoy it better with chicken 😉 Please let me know when you try it again!
Okay, I tried this again exactly as written for my Pennsylvania Dutch relatives who came to visit from Lancaster County. They loved it and ate every last bit! The toddler was too happy with all the guests to focus on eating (grandma is the only thing better than a khoresh). Definitely better with the chicken though!
Hello Allison, thank you for getting back to me with your repeat trial! Nice to know that you liked it better with chicken. Nothing, khoresh, or otherwise can match grandma’s charm 😉
Okay, third go around: I toasted my walnuts for a minute or two and then proceeded with chicken thighs. My husband said it was the best yet, my toddler thanked me for dinner unprompted, and my baby ate some minced up. Her first Persian food! She seemed impressed. ☺️?
It sounds like you’ve perfected the recipe to everyone’s taste Allison! Thank you so much for your comment and my regards to the entire Fesenjan loving family 😉
Hi homa thank you for your recipe. Just a quick q, where does the water come from in the recipe, worried about burning you see? When adding the chicken topped with onions topped with walnut paste and pomegranate will it not just burn?
Thanks in advance hoping to try it soon!
Hello Thamer; the chicken releases natural juices as it cooks and there is no need to add extra water, other than the 1/4 cup that is added to the walnut paste. Please write back and tell me what you think. Have a great afternoon!
Followed your recipe and.. Best fesenjoon I’ve ever tasted, and I usually dislike my own cooking. Even made a fesenjoon fan out of my fiancé. Thank you for your recipe and time. God bless you.
Oh super! I’m very happy you and your fiancé enjoyed it. You’re so welcome dear Thamer, and thanks very much for letting me know 🙂
Hello Homa, this is the best and easiest recipe for fesenjan I’ve tried. They typically say roast the chopped walnuts a bit before adding to the stew to slowly cook for an hour or so. But, your recipe for how to work the walnuts was perfect and easy. Actually froze two portions of cooked fesenjan for later 🙂 Thank you!
You’re so welcome Nellie! I love this recipe and the fact that it happens to be a one-pot dish makes it a perfect go-to recipe for many of my readers. It’s also an all time favorite among my friends and family. Thanks you so much for writing to me!
can this recipe be prepared in advance and heated right before serving?
Hi Carol; yes, Fesenjan reheats very well (use low heat), but like most chicken dishes, the meat is more tender and juicy when eaten right after being cooked.
HI Homa,
I just returned from beautiful Iran 3 days ago and before leaving Iran I bought ingredients to make your recipe of Fesenjan. I loved this dish so much when I was in Iran. Tomorrow I will cook this dish according to your recipe. I can’t wait. 🙂
yummie,
Kosin
Welcome back Kosin! I’m glad to hear that you’re going to make this recipe; it is a favorite in our family. I would love to read your feedback. Enjoy, and happy cooking!
Just made this after one of my Iranian co workers gave me a bottle of Pomegranate molasses. She was been nudging me for months to make this and finally did last night. WOW so amazing and so different than anything else I have made! Thank you so much…I also live in Salt Lake City and have driven past the Black Cherry Market often! Thanks so much for the tasty inspiration!
It is my pleasure Erin, so glad you liked it. How wonderful that you also live in the beautiful SLC and know where my favorite Persian market is; life is so much tastier when you can find the ingredients 😉 Please keep in touch and write me again when you make my other recipes. Have a great week!
Hello Homa,
Greetings from Boston! I tried this recipe last night. The result was amazing! Thank you so much for sharing it. I have been trying several fesenjan recipes and by far yours is the best! So tangy, delicious and easier than some other fesenjan recipes. My Persian husband was impressed:) (I am Turkish).. We took the leftovers next day to work. Ooh la la..
Hi Gulsah; so good to hear from you. It’s wonderful to hear that you and your husband have enjoyed my recipe. Thanks for writing to me and please keep in touch 🙂
It is the pomegranate season so I was looking for an interesting dish where I could use it in. This was my first attempt at cooking a Persian dish and now I know I couldn’t have made a better choice. This dish is flavorful and super easy, simply delicious!
Dear Izabela; I truly enjoyed reading your comment here! So happy my recipe was your first experience in Persian cooking and that it was a success 🙂 You will find many delicious recipes here and I would love to read your comments when you try them. Thanks so much for writing to me and please keep in touch!
I just made this recipe tonight and it came out delicious! My hubby loved it too! Thank you so much for sharing and including the pics, I’ll definitely be making this recipe in the future. It’s easy to follow and easy to prepare. I’m originally from Azerbaijan and love everything pomegranate but didn’t know how to cook this dish until now.
Hi Nika; I’m very happy that you and your hubby loved this recipe. It is so nice of you to write back and let me know, and it’s great to meet someone from Azerbaijan here; I love pomegranates too 🙂 Please keep in touch and share your experience when you make my other recipes!
Made a double portion for a party to leave out on a buffet on a hot tray and it was fabulous! Thanks for the excellent recipe and directions!
Elizabeth, I really appreciate your comment; thanks for writing to me 🙂 Happy New Year!!
Hi, thank you for the recipe. I was wondering if there is a way to do it in crock pot (slow cooker). Thanks.
You’re welcome Elena! You could use a slow cooker, but the results are not quite the same as the stove top method. The slow cooker holds in a lot of moisture and this prevents the sauce from thickening. If you have to use it though, after cooking this recipe on low for 6-7 hours (or until the chicken falls off the bone), leave the lid open and cook on High until the sauce is reduced.
I just made fensenjan with duck for dinner tonight. It came out wonderfully. I improvised a bit. I roasted the duck whole for one hour while making the rest of the recipe and then cut it in pieces and added it to the walnut-pomegranate base, then simmered the khoresh for another hour and a half. That way I was able to save a lot of fat for future use as opposed to having it grease up the fensanjan. It also gave me nicely browned duck without having to pre-saute the duck pieces. I’m very happy with it. Of course, with chicken it wouldn’t make sense since it cooks faster and has much less fat.
Thanks again for the great recipes.
Hi Martin; I’m glad you’re happy with the recipe. Thanks very much for sharing your special technique using duck; I’m sure it will be helpful to everyone. Have a great weekend and please keep in touch!
Hello, I’m excited to try this dish after disvovering a Persian market in my neighborhood. Do you think this could work with bone-in chicken breasts? I’m not a huge fan of the legs and thighs.
Hi Susan; you should be able to use bone-in chicken breast, though I have always used the drumsticks or thighs. I would recommend to make 3-4 deep, equally spaced, cuts into the breast meat, perpendicular to the bone, to facilitate faster cooking and to prevent the meat from drying out. I would love to hear back from you with the results after you cook this recipe with the chicken breast.
My husband just made your recipe …it’s incredibly delicious!!! Thank you!
It’s my pleasure Luana! I’m very happy to read your comment. Have a great day 🙂
hello, i wander what are the spices in addition to salt and pepper that you would normally add to your shirazi salad fesenjan, keshk and ground lamb? i tend to overdo it and want to know the right way. thank you!!!!
Hi Yunna; Besides salt and pepper, ground turmeric is a spice that is frequently used in most Persian cooking with meat; this goes for beef, chicken, lamb, or turkey dishes. Excessive use of turmeric tends to overpower the other flavors, and even make the food bitter. Most dishes will not require more than 1/2-1 teaspoon of turmeric. Please refer to my recipe index page: http://persianmama.com/recipe-index/ to find the recipes that you’ve referred to.
In general, depending on the recipe, ground lamb is mixed with fine chopped onions, salt, pepper, turmeric and maybe tomato paste.
I hope I have answered your question, but let me know if you need more information about Persian cooking.
I am pleased with this recipe. I’ve tried and failed many many times over the years to make a good fesenjan. This one I cooked low and slow until the oil came out of the walnuts and the stew was thick and dark and satisfying. My advice to others is use a light hand with the ra’be anar pomegranate molasses, otherwise you run the risk of an overly bitter stew. Leave room for the walnut flavor to have its role. This recipe is a keeper.
Dear Brion; it’s great to hear that you’re happy with my recipe, and you’ve found the right formula for a good khoresh; patience and time 😉 I agree with you about the molasses; it’s a lot more sour than the concentrate and the remedy for that is a tablespoon of sugar to compensate for the tartness. Please keep in touch and thank you for your comment.
Thank you so much for this recipe Shirin! I was raised with these delicious Persian meals, but growing up in the US and my parents being passed away, I never knew how to cook these Persian meals for my children until I found your website. Fesenjan came out beautifully as I remember it, although I added a bit red wine and 2 tbsp sugar to mine for my Italian husband who has wine in everything. Thanks again!
Hi Ana; it’s a pleasure to meet you and read your wonderful message here! I’m so glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed this recipe. Adding red wine sounds very intriguing; I will keep that in mind. You must like this khoresh, shirin 😉 or maybe you used molasses instead of concentrate! Either way you’ve made me very happy with your comment. Have a great day and please keep in touch!
dear Homa
I have lost touch with a dear Persian friend who used to make a dish that I always thought was fesanjan but I remember it being made in a rice cooker with potatoes on the bottom, then alternative layers of rice, yoghurt, chicken and the pomegranite and walnut sauce. Is this fesanjan or another dish, if this is something else do you know what it is, please.
I would love to make it.
Chris
Hi Chris; sounds like your friend made a tahchin (layered rice) version of fesenjan. You will need to parcook the rice, as we do for any Persian rice. Add oil to the pot and arrange the potatoes at the bottom. Then layer the parcooked rice with cooked chicken pices and fesenjan sauce. I hope this answers your question and you will be able to make your favorite dish 😉
I have an Iranian friend who swears that everyone in her family loves this dish, even if she personally can’t stand it. I decided to look it up to see if I could make it, and found your recipe. Figure I’d give it a shot since it looks pretty simple and really good. The only part I had trouble with was finding the pomegranate concentrate. Thankfully some of your other comments on here mentioned making concentrate from pomegranate juice. I’m currently in the middle of fixing this for dinner and seeing how it goes. Wish me luck!
Hello Danielle; I’m happy you have tried this recipe! Please share your thoughts and experience about making pomegranate concentrate from juice and this popular dish! Thanks very much for your comment and please keep in touch 🙂
Hi, thank you so much for the simple to following yet amazingly flavoured fesenjan. This is the first ever Iranian dish that I’ve ever cooked. I cooked it for dinner as a surprise for my Iranian husband (I don’t normally cook and we normally eat out or do takeaways). Needless to say he was totally surprised and amazed at how delicious it was! Looking forward to try your other recipes! 🙂
Dear Dessy; I’m delighted to hear from you! It’s wonderful to know that your first attempt at Iranian cooking was my recipe, and that it was a success and met the approval of your husband! I can’t wait to hear back from you when you try my other recipes. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any possible question about the recipes.
Hello! I am excited to try this recipe but I was wondering if I can use chicken breast instead of thigh? Would I need to modify anything if I used chicken breast?
Hello Zaineb; You will love this recipe, and yes, you could make it with chicken breast; are you talking about bone in or boneless? Bone-in, you would do everything the same as the recipe; be mindful that the chicken breast tends to dry out so keep an eye on it and stop cooking as soon as you can easily remove the meat from the bone. If you’re using boneless; make the sauce with all the ingredients minus the chicken, plus 3/4-1 cup water. I have not made it this way, so you will need to experiment. Cook the sauce over medium low heat with a low boil until slightly thickened. Cube the chicken breast and brown it on all sides in a separate pan. Add the chicken to the prepared sauce, cover the pot and simmer the khoresh for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and has taken the rich taste and color of the sauce. Please keep in touch; I would like to read your feedback when you try any of these versions.
Dear Homa, I cooked your recipe today with boneless chicken breast and it was sooo delicious! As I hadn’t seen this comment before, I just followed the original steps. After step 8, the sauce got really sticky so I added a cup of water and 30 min later it was perfect. Thanks so much for sharing this flavourful yet simple recipe. I’ll definitely cook it again. Greetings from Germany, Lisa
You are amazing Persian mama. Thanks for sharing your recipes ?
Thanks for your support my dear Tammy!
هما عزیز. خیلی ممنون برای همه دستور آشپزی خفنتون. من وبسایتتون خیلی دوستدارم. همیشه اوَلین محله کُجا من میرم وقتی من میخوام غذا نو بپزم. من غذا هاتون زیاد میپُختم. دوستم (او ایرانیه) و من همه خیلی دوستداریم. فسنخان یکی خیلی خوش مذست
Do you also know a nice recipe for preparing cow tongue?
دستتون درد نکنه. سلام میرسونم از هُلند
Greetings dear Femke; it’s wonderful to hear from you. I’m very happy to hear that you’ve been cooking and enjoying my recipes. All of my family loves this recipe as well; nooshe joonetoon 😉
I usually make the cow tongue by first cooking it in water with little onion, garlic, salt and pepper until cooked through and tender. At this point I peel the tongue and cook it for another hour in a tomato saffron sauce with caramelized onions until it absorbs all the flavors and is fork tender. Have a great Sunday and please keep in touch!
Thank you very much. It sounds very good. I will try it 🙂
سلام هما عزیز
دیروز زبان گاو پُختیم. خیلی خوش مزه بود. خیلی ممنون
دستتون درد نکنه
Dear Femke; خوشحالم که دوست داشتین. نوش جان
Hey Homa,
I am a big fan of your recipes. I’m from Vancouver, Canada and this Fesenjan is one of my favourite dishes. I decided to try making it on a whim after having it in a restaurant once and I can’t believe how good it is…
Thank you!! =]
~ Jay
Hi Jay; glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed my recipe. Thanks so much for writing to me. Please keep in touch!
Hi Mama,
Nice recipe for a dish which is near and dear to my heart and my tummy as well. Now, could you kindly answer my questions?
Q1.I have a simple blender which is not the same as a food processor such as yours, which means I cannot effectively make the walnut paste as per your steps 1 and 2. Therefore, my question is: Can you mix and blend the walnuts, paste, and the water to create a sloshy slop mixture and then cook it along with the chicken and fried onions?
Q2. What brand is your processor? Are you at liberty to disclose it? I need to get one.
Q3. On a related note, is there a food processor that can mince fresh herbs for Persian vegetable soup (ash) or stew (ghormehsabzi, and do so without smashing it?
Thank you for all you do!
Bijan
Dear Bijan; I’m glad you like this recipe; it is a favorite at our house too!
I don’t see why a blender would not do the job. Start with as little water as possible, maybe 1/4 cup, then add more by tablespoons if needed. As long as the walnuts are fine, it should work even if it is a bit sloshy.
As for the food processor, I would recommend getting a medium size one. I have a large Kitchen Aid that I only use occasionally for large jobs, but I use my smaller (about 7-8 cups) Cuisinart all the time!
A good chef’s knife is the best tool for chopping herbs; I don’t recommend using a food processor for that! The only time I process herbs is when I make my pesto sauce 😉
Thanks for writing to me and please keep in touch!
Dear Homa, Thanks a lot for your detailed and thorough recipes. Their clarity makes it possible even for those who are not familiar with the basics of cooking to dare to try new dishes! Also your artful touches here and there makes each of the recipes you post to be even more special! I appreciate your website a lot.
I also wanted to ask a question. I read in one of the comments that it is possible to make the concentrate by boiling 64oz of pomegranate juice. I was reading some recipes for pomegranate syrup online that suggest adding sugar and lemon to the juice for making the concentrate. Would you recommend that? Would boiling the juice itself be good enough or it needs extra sugar and lemon juice? I want to try the recipe this week and will not have enough time to order Sadaf concentrate online, so need to make the concentrate myself. I appreciate your advice about this a lot! Thanks.
Dear Anahita; You’re so kind my dear! I’m very happy that you’re enjoying my blog and I do appreciate your support 🙂
Yes the juice may be simmered, but not boiled, until thickened. There is no need for the lemon juice! I would not even add the sugar at this stage, as most pomegranate juice that I have tried are pretty sweet and will get even sweeter when reduced. After you are done reducing the juice to a syrup consistency, if it is very sour, you could add 1-2 teaspoons of sugar, to taste, to the khoresh. Good luck and happy cooking!
Awesome! Thank you very much for the detailed direction, much appreciated.
Anytime 🙂
Hello
Your recipe ask for 4-5 pieces of drumsticks – Fesenjan
Is it for 4-5 people?
Hi Gala; yes, this is for 4-5 large drumsticks that weigh about 2 pounds total. The serving is one drumstick per person. If the drumsticks are small or you would prefer to serve more per person, you could add more drumsticks. However if the weight is more than 2 pounds you should adjust the rest of the recipe accordingly.
Hello – is there anything that is not a tree nut that can be substituted for the walnuts? My son is allergic to tree nuts and I’ve been dying to make this dish.
Thanks!
Jim
Hi Jim; I think processed cooked chickpeas will have a similar consistency to walnuts, though I have never tried this myself! I would use cooked and drained chickpeas (can or home cooked), the same amount as indicated for the walnuts. Process them with several on/off pulse action in the food processor until they turn to very fine particles (not paste). Hold off the water in the recipe unless it turns very dry (I don’t think it would). Add them half way through cooking. Please let me know how this turns out for you. Good luck and have a great weekend!
We tried this at a restaurant in California once, and since the I’ve wanted to make it. This one tastes just like it, maybe even more delicious! Thank you!
Dear Sana; thanks so much for writing to me! I’m happy that you have enjoyed this recipe; Noosh e jan and please keep in touch 🙂
Hello. I have just read James Clavells Whirlwind and this dish comes up a lot, so I am going to cook this for the first time in Saturday in the slow cooker. My wife hates chicken on the bone so am going to use breast. I was going to put 1/2 a cup of fresh chicken stock in. Would this be a bad idea?
Hi Ben; since you will be using boneless chicken your fesenjan will require some extra liquid and fresh chicken stock is a perfect choice. However, I’m not sure about 1/2 cup, you may or may not need more stock; I recommend to keep an eye on it, if possible, and add more as needed. I’m very interested to know how this works out; please do share your feedback. Happy cooking!
Result! Didn’t come out quite as dark as the pics here, but that’s probably due to me putting the onions in raw, and it all being done in the slow cooker. Ended up using about a good cup of proper gelatinous chicken stock, but it all came out very tasty. Will make again. Thanks. Ben
Hi Ben; Thanks for letting me know the result! I’m intrigued that this tasted delicious with raw onions and I think it would taste even better with fried onions; I love fried onions 😉
I must say when I cooked this recipe in a slow cooker, I also ended up with a pale khoresh with more liquid; so I left the lid off and increased the temp to high for a while until the sauce was reduced and turned darker. Please keep in touch and continue being creative in the kitchen!
Hi Homa,
Is it possible to make the pomegranate reduction using pomegranate powder?
Thanks, Sarah
Hi Sarah; I have never cooked with pomegranate powder. If you decide to use it to make the reduction, let me know how it works out. Have a great week and please keep in touch!
Result was tasty but not as visually pleasing as the true red of actual pomegranate syrup – sauce was more of a brownish purple. The fresh aril garnish perked it up a bit. No complaints from my husband though – he almost licked the bowl. We are doing low carb so we had paleo “naan” as a side. Doesn’t in any way compare with proper persian rice 🙁
Giving this 5 stars as if I had actually used all the proper ingredients it would have been even more outstanding
Dear Sarah; thanks so much for sharing the result of cooking this recipe with pomegranate powder. Glad to hear that both you and your husband enjoyed this dish. This is definitely helpful for those who would want to try the powder instead of the concentrate. Thanks again! Have a great weekend and please keep in touch.
Homa,
Amazing recipe (my first from your website). I just made it last night and enjoyed it for lunch today. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I look forward to trying much more on your site.
Best,
-Ryan
Dear Ryan; I really appreciate your comment and I’m confident that you will find many of your favorites here. Please keep in touch and thanks again for your support 🙂