Fesenjan, Iranian Chicken, Walnut & Pomegranate Stew

Fesenjan is a simple, slowly cooked Iranian stew featuring ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and chicken thighs that is a real treat!

A really unusual, delicious dish with deep flavours and a beautifully rich chocolate colour. It also has a unique but easy cooking technique that will become a firm favourite.

Persian Walnut and Pomegranate Stew

Fesenjan is a fantastic, rich, bold and unusual stew from Persia or modern-day Iran. Containing both walnuts and pomegranate molasses, it makes for a unique recipe, but one that tastes fantastic.

I came across it in a cookery book called Persianna by Sabrina Ghayour; it piqued my interest.

I have a thing for unique and unusual recipes from around the world, including my own backyard. This recipe joins other oddities like Babi Chin, a glorious Indonesian pork stew, Faggots, pork and offal meatballs from the British Midlands and lamb kabsa, a wonderful Levantine lamb, dried fruit and nut-based rice dish.

Fesenjan is also often called fesenjoon or fesejan. It will also often be suffixed or prefixed by khoresh or khoresht, which simply means stew.

It has the most beautiful, rich and dark chocolate colour and a flavour that is earthy with a subtle sweet and sour vibe.

Seriously, this dish is outrageously good and comes from one of the great ancient cuisines. One that I seriously need to learn more about!

If you are looking for other chicken stew recipes, check out my Mexican chicken stew, Jamaican brown stew chicken or chicken basque recipe!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pomegranate Molasses?

Pomegranate molasses is a reduction of sugar and pomegranate juice, it has a wonderful, sharp flavour with a hint of sweetness.

It should be available in larger supermarkets. But if you are struggling it should be easy to find in North African, Turkish or Middle Eastern stores.

Don't be worried about having loads left over, I use it a lot. Type it into my search function at the top of the page for plenty of ideas, but a couple of my favourites are my halloumi cheese salad and zaatar chicken legs.

Can this recipe be cooked in advance?

Yes. As with many stew recipes, this khorest fesenjan is actually better after a couple of days.

It will store in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat slowly in a pan covered with a lid; do not reheat too quickly, or you will burn the sauce, and it will taste bitter.

This is an unusual recipe. Any hints?

I agree that this Persian fesenjan recipe is really unusual, but it is very easy!

But as with many recipes, there is one thing that trumps all others. For this recipe, it is important to ensure that the walnuts do not burn, because they will turn the stew bitter. Keep the temperature low and stir every 20 or 30 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve this Persian fesenjan dish with rice loaded with tonnes of fresh parsley. I then garnish with pomegranate arils and snipped chives.

The sauce for this pomegranate and walnut stew is a big and bold flavour, and I personally think it works well with neutral side dishes.

It would also work well with bulgur wheat or buttered couscous.

This fesenjan recipe does make loads of sauce, though and sauce for stews loves bread. I've served it with Moroccan Msemen flatbread, a delicious Moroccan flatbread, and it is great at mopping up the thick and bold sauce.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/stovetop.
• 20cm or 8" saucepan wth a lid.
• 30cm or 12" frying pan.
• Kitchen knife.
• Chopping board.
• A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
• Kitchen tongs.
• Stirring and serving spoons.