Persian Pomegranate Glazed Chicken Thighs

A glorious but simple marinade of pomegranate molasses and garlic turn the simple chicken thigh into a shining jewel of deliciousness!

Persian Chicken.

There are a whole host of Persian chicken recipes ranging from those with preserved lemon to zaatar chicken closely associated with Levantine cuisine.

My favourites often involve pomegranate molasses. Dishes like Fesenjan, a walnut and pomegranate stew, have become a firm favourite with us.

I love the stuff and use it all of the time on everything from lamb kofta with roasted squash to zaatar halloumi cheese!

This simple recipe is inspired by a recipe in a new book I picked up called Honey and Co!

It is gloriously simple, tastes divine and I think it looks beautiful!

Ingredient Guide.

There are two main ingredients in this recipe that warrant mention, the first is pomegranate molasses.

An ingredient that has become much more readily available here in Europe in recent years. In the main that is thanks to the popularity of great writers and chefs like Sabrina Ghayour and Yotam Ottolenghi.

It is essentially a sweetened reduction of pomegranate juice.

It has a long shelf life once opened of over a year and whilst it is relatively expensive a little goes a long way.

The next ingredient you have a choice with is chicken.

I use bone in, skin on chicken thighs for this recipe. They are my favourite part of the chicken.

I use them in everything from my lemon garlic chicken to chicken adobo.

They have so much flavour and the bone helps give them a nice “form”. Yes, appearances are important when it comes to food as far as I am concerned!

I do have something in the “similar but different category” using pomegranate molasses with this glazed chicken breast recipe.

Serving Suggestions.

Cooking this recipe leaves a whole lotta love in the pan.

As a result, whatever you decide to serve with this recipe needs to take advantage of those pan juices.

That means one of three thing for me.

A simple buttered couscous, bulgur wheat or Isreali couscous.

I chose Israeli couscous for this dish, but the process would be the same for any of the dishes.

Cook your choice of side simply, then remove the chicken from the pan and return the pan to a moderate heat.

Add in the couscous or bulgur wheat and maybe some more nuts and raisins and get it to soak up all of the flavour.

Remember, you are not trying to cook anything just to soak up all of that flavour. Finally chuck in a load of herbs and job done!