Fesenjan
Chicken or duck braised in a sauce of ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses that cooks down over hours into something dark, sour and sweet.
Photograph credit: Khoresht-e fesenjan by stringparts · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Method
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Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 5 minutes until fragrant, then cool and grind them as finely as you can without turning them to butter.
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Season the chicken and brown it skin side down in the oil for 6 minutes, then turn and give it 2 minutes. Set aside.
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Cook the onions in the same pan for 12 minutes until golden. Add the turmeric, cinnamon and nutmeg for 1 minute.
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Add the ground walnuts and stir over low heat for 5 minutes until they smell toasty.
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Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer, and cook uncovered on the lowest heat for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so it does not catch. The sauce will thicken and darken and walnut oil will rise.
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Stir in the pomegranate molasses, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the salt and pepper.
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Return the chicken, skin side up, and simmer gently for 40 minutes more.
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Taste and balance with more sugar if it is too sour. It should be sour first, then sweet, then rich.
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Rest 15 minutes — the sauce thickens further — and serve over basmati with pomegranate seeds.
Chef’s Tips
- Grind the walnuts fine but stop before they become butter.
- The long simmer before the chicken goes back is where the colour comes from.
- Taste and balance at the end. Molasses brands are wildly different.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- Vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock makes this meat-free without changing the method, if that is what you need.
Pairing Suggestions
- Steamed basmati and tahdig
- Shirazi salad
- A glass of doogh
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate up to 4 days and freeze 3 months. It thickens; loosen with stock.
Common questions
How long does Fesenjan take to make?
About 2 hours 25 minutes in total — 25 minutes of preparation and 2 hours of cooking. The recipe serves 6.
What are the key tips for making Fesenjan?
Grind the walnuts fine but stop before they become butter. The long simmer before the chicken goes back is where the colour comes from. Taste and balance at the end. Molasses brands are wildly different.
What should I serve with Fesenjan?
Steamed basmati and tahdig; Shirazi salad; A glass of doogh.
Can Fesenjan be made ahead or frozen?
Refrigerate up to 4 days and freeze 3 months. It thickens; loosen with stock.
Is Fesenjan suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is gluten-free and high-protein. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Fesenjan?
About 886 kcal per serving, with 62 g protein, 34 g carbohydrate and 48 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Nutritional Highlights
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
Reader Reviews
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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