Christmas

Pomegranate Chicken with Molasses

by:
December  3, 2012
4
1 Ratings
Pomegranate Chicken with Molasses
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Pure comfort food. Slow braised chicken thighs are seasoned with pomegranate molasses and chilies. Slightly tangy and spicy with each bite. —ChezUs

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Ingredients
  • 2 slices bacon, small dice
  • 1 small yellow onion, minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced finely
  • 1/2 fresno chili, minced finely
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • black pepper
  • parsley, to garnish
  • Second Ingredients
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
  • 8 chicken thighs
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 300. Lightly pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
  2. In a large dutch oven over medium heat, slightly cook the bacon until soft, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add the onion, garlic and chili. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the dutch oven and set aside.
  4. Add the olive oil to the same pan. Brown the chicken thighs; about 3 – 5 minutes per side. Add the onion mixture to the browned chicken.
  5. Pour the stock and molasses over the top of the chicken. Lightly stir. Cover with the lid. Slide into the oven.
  6. After 1 hour of cooking, lightly stir and add a little stock, if needed.
  7. Cook for another 1 hour
  8. Remove from the oven. The meat will be very tender.
  9. Lightly stir in the pomegranate seeds and garnish with parsley.
  10. Serve.
  11. Eat.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • leah_shelton_pucciarelli
    leah_shelton_pucciarelli
  • Langmade
    Langmade
  • ChezUs
    ChezUs
  • smonfor
    smonfor

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11 Reviews

smonfor
smonfor January 2, 2014
This has been on my must bake list for a year, and frankly, I'm a bit disappointing. I want to try it again though, as I had to substitute chili powder for the chili, and I think I was too conservative. So basically it tasted like BBQ chicken, except the sauce was WAY to watery at the end, so next time I would reduce it (which is what I am doing for the left overs) or add the finely ground walnuts as another commentor said is traditional. I also had only 1/4 cup of Pomegranate molasses, and so in the future I would up that to the 1/2 that the recipe actually calls for. So, I think I will try it again and hope it comes out a bit more WOW next time.
 
theabroma
theabroma October 1, 2013
Sans the bacon, which is an addition, this is a simplified, stripped-down version of the glorious Persian khoresch-e fesenjun. Traditionally done with duck, it is a braise whose liquid is enriched and thickened by the addition of finely ground walnuts. It is beyond exquisite!
 
leah_shelton_pucciarelli
leah_shelton_pucciarelli June 3, 2013
ok great! i'll let you know how it turns out!
 
leah_shelton_pucciarelli
leah_shelton_pucciarelli June 3, 2013
thinking of trying this with boneless, skinless breasts. i also don't have bacon. thoughts on cutting each breast into halves or thirds and wrapping in proscuitto? rest of recipe the same...
 
ChezUs
ChezUs June 3, 2013
Hi Leah,

I love your creative twist on this recipe. I would definitely give it a go - the salty and slightly sweet will be a great combination, in my opinion. I made add a little more stock so that the breasts do not dry out, which can happen with white meat. Let us know how it turns out.
 
Rajan R.
Rajan R. December 29, 2012
I think the proportions are off on this recipe. 1/2 cup of pomegranate molasses is way to much. Far to sweet.
 
ChezUs
ChezUs December 30, 2012
Hi Rajan,
Sorry to hear this recipe did not work for you. The pomegranate molasses I used was actually more tart then sweet, and the portion worked perfectly for us. If, it was too sweet for your taste, I would cut it to 1/4 cup and go from there .... What brand did you use? I can try it out when I get back home after the holiday.

Denise
 
Marti K.
Marti K. December 7, 2012
There's no chicken in the ingredient list... ;)
 
ChezUs
ChezUs December 7, 2012
Hi, I am not sure why the ingredients are not showing up as they are entered on the backed of Food52. I need to contact them. But you need 8 chicken thighs - I aka for the largest available. ~ Denise
 
Langmade
Langmade December 3, 2012
How much stock and molasses?
 
ChezUs
ChezUs December 3, 2012
That is a good question, and I am not sure why it is not showing up as it is entered on my end. You need 2 cups of chicken stock and 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses.