Recipes

Melts In Your Mouth Chicken Braised In Ground Walnut - Persian Fesenjoon (Fesenjan)

Melts In Your Mouth Chicken Braised In Ground Walnut - Persian Fesenjoon (Fesenjan)
Searching for a recipe that the whole family will love? This deliciously mild, nutty, sweet and tangy braised chicken is your answer. Similar to Chicken Satay, this recipe is using a nut base, but instead of peanuts, it is made with walnuts. 
Fesenjoon (also called Fesenjan) originated from the province of Gilan, bordering the Caspian Sea in the north of Iran. This stew is the king of Persian stews and is loved all across Iran. It's a magical combination of ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses that has a delicious earthy, tangy flavour. Depending on the region, people make this stew with various levels of sweetness. People from Tehran and central Iran usually make Fesenjoon sweet and enjoy it with chicken or meatballs. In the northern regions, Fesenjoon is tangier and less sweet and usually enjoyed with pumpkin (Click here for that wonderful vegan recipe).
The natural oils from walnuts penetrate into the chicken, making it moist and melts in your mouth. If you like chicken satay then you should certainly give this family favourite a go.
The perfect Fesenjoon requires a long slow-cooking process which has been done by Exotic Bazaar, this allows you to prepare this delicious stew in no time at all using our Walnut & Pomegranate cooking sauce (Serves for 4).
Ingredients:
1 Jar of Fesenjoon Persian Recipe Base
- 500g bonless free-range organic chicken
- 1/2 onion grated
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (optional)
- 4 whole dried apricots (optional)
- salt & pepper for seasoning.
- 1/4 tsp Saffron (optional)
 
Method:
1- Cut the chicken into medium size pieces and pat dry.
2- In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry the onion with the turmeric.
3 - Add the chicken pieces and seal on all sides. Sprinkle the chicken with salt while they are cooking.
4- Add 1 Jar of Fesenjoon cooking sauce, with 1/2 a jar water or stock.
5- Add in the 4 apricots. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
6- Serve the Fesenjoon stew in a serving bowl. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve with steamed rice, salad, yogurt and Garlic Torshi.
Blog posts Melts In Your Mouth Chicken Braised In Ground Walnut - Persian Fesenjoon (Fesenjan)
Note:
When using chicken breast I prefer to shred the chicken in the sauce just before serving.
This dish goes really well with all cuts of chicken, even drumsticks.
To make it more similar to chicken satay, don't add any water and make it drier so the chicken is stir-fried in the sauce.
Top TIP:
If you happen to have any saffron available, add a 1/4 tsp! Gentry ground the threads to create a powder and add a tbsp of hot water to mix it all together. Add it to the the sauce in step 4.

Check out our other article on How To Brew Saffron.

Enjoy your exotic Persian night :)

 

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