Fesenjan

Boneless chicken braised in a measured walnut and pomegranate sauce.

Preparation: 20 min · Cooking: 2 hr 45 min · Total: 3 hr 5 min · 2 servings

Ingredients

• 300 g Raw boneless chicken thigh pieces
• 150 g Shelled raw walnuts, weighed before grinding and toasting
• 4 tbsp Pomegranate molasses
• Small raw onion, chopped — 1
• 1 tbsp Optional sugar for sauce balance (optional)
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil for onion and chicken
• 0.25 tsp Ground turmeric
• 480 ml Initial retained walnut-sauce water
• Salt, to taste
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Conditional extra hot water, measure only if needed

Instructions

1. Grind and toast

   Grind the measured 150 g shelled walnuts finely in a food processor, without forcing a dry powder or nut-butter texture. Toast gently in a dry pot over medium-low heat from 3 minutes, stirring until fragrant, not burnt.

   Grind and toast: 180 seconds

2. Simmer walnut sauce first

   Remove from direct heat to add the initial 480 ml water cautiously, then return to gentle low simmer from 60 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Measure extra hot water only if needed. Prepare the chicken only once this sauce is ready.

   Walnut sauce simmers gently without scorching; check from 60 minutes. Chicken is not in the pot at this stage.

   Simmer walnut sauce first: 3600 seconds

3. Sear and transfer immediately

   Do not rinse raw chicken. When walnut sauce is ready, sauté onion in the separate measured oil from 5 minutes, add chicken, turmeric and seasoning and sear over controlled medium heat. Transfer immediately to the simmering sauce; never hold partly cooked poultry while waiting an hour for sauce.

   Sear and transfer immediately: 300 seconds

4. Add molasses and braise

   Stir all measured 4 tbsp pomegranate molasses into the chicken and walnut sauce. Use a normal fitted lid and gentle low simmer from 60–90 minutes until chicken is tender and the thickest pieces reach 74°C. Colour or floating oil is not the safety endpoint.

   Add molasses and braise: 3600 seconds

5. Check several pieces

   Check chicken at 74°C with a clean thermometer in several thick pieces, continuing if needed. Stir gently near the pot bottom and record any necessary hot-water top-up; do not let the walnut sauce scorch.

6. Balance only after cooking

   Once chicken has reached 74°C, taste the sauce with a clean spoon. If needed add no more than the listed optional 1 tbsp sugar; use only the measured molasses, not an extra unmeasured pour. Adjust listed salt and pepper to taste.

7. Serve stew

   Serve the tender chicken with its cooked walnut sauce promptly using clean serving tools. Prepared rice is an optional separate accompaniment, not another ingredient in this master.

8. Chill safely

   Place leftovers in shallow portions and refrigerate promptly within 2 hours, or 1 hour in hot conditions, at 4°C or colder. Selected household limit is 2 days; rice, if separately served, has its own 24-hour limit.

Tips

• Base batch: quantities are for 2 catalogue servings (minimum 1, maximum 8). Cup = 240 ml; tbsp = 15 ml; tsp = 5 ml. Scale ingredients, not temperatures or automatically the cooking times. Wash produce with potable water and keep raw meat/tools away from ready-to-eat food.
• Timers mark first checks, not guaranteed doneness. Keep water/fat allocations separate, use appropriate cookware and manageable batches, normal fitted lids and no towel seals or blocked vents. Conditional top-ups are measured, never guaranteed final yields.

Common mistakes

• Do not mistake browning or elapsed time for cooked-through food, omit named process inputs, add unlisted garnish fats or leave perishable food waiting warm.

Substitutions

• Use the specified foods, quantities and dry/cooked preparation states. No unmeasured ingredient swap is approved for this master; separate accompaniments do not replace its measured ingredients.

Storage

Chill promptly in shallow portions within 2 hours (1 hour in hot conditions), at 4°C or colder; selected household limit 2 days, or any shorter label/use-by limit. Cool rice ideally within 1 hour and use within 24 hours. Keep bread/garnishes separate. This is not a validated shelf life; reheating cannot rescue mishandling.

Reheating

Reheat only once to 74°C throughout, steaming hot, checking several places. Reheat only the needed portion and add only a measured amount of water if necessary. Add separate ready-to-eat garnishes with clean tools.

About this recipe

An owner-selected Iranian household version with explicitly measured ingredients and practical home-kitchen steps. Historical exclusivity, medical benefits and exact traditional-origin claims have not been independently verified.

Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.