You’ve heard it here before. Brown food is hard to photograph. Hard to determine what’s IN there, isn’t it? I strategically placed the dried fruit so it would at least give the photo some color. It’s called Fesenjen – an Afghan dish – a braised chicken dish with a load of walnuts and pomegranate. Not much else except a bay leaf and some sugar. It’s also a popular celebration dish in both the Iranian and Persian cuisines, where it’s spelled fesenjan. Apparently some versions don’t add the sugar, so it can be anything from tart to sweet. But, in any case, it’s to be served with yellow or white rice in all of the cultures.
Cooking is sometimes serendipitous. You cook what you have. This is certainly an example of that kind of cooking. I had a chicken in the refrigerator that HAD to be used or I’d be throwing it out in the trash. The day I cooked this I had a very busy day, with little or no time to spend in the kitchen. Enter the next step of serendipity. The day prior my friend Cherrie gave me a birthday present (actually two) but one was a new cookbook fav or hers, Secrets of Slow Cooking, by Liana Kassoff.
Quickly perusing the index, yes, there was chicken. Several. But this one it had to be because I had all the ingredients. Well, most of them. I didn’t have all chicken thighs. I didn’t have a fresh pomegranate, nor did I have barberries (dried). So, more of the “necessity is the mother of invention.” I made this with a whole chicken and I made it with dried cranberries. The best part of the recipe was how easy it was. Very little prep time required. You don’t even have to brown the chicken. You DO have to toast the walnuts and grind them up in the food processor. See the photo below – toasted walnuts left, sort of fine ground nuts on the right. But the rest of the prep takes about 5 minutes or less.
So, exactly what’s involved? Place the raw, skinned chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. Toast the walnuts and whiz them in the food processor to a fine grind. Toss in the slow cooker. Add a bay leaf and some water (or chicken broth). Slow cook on low for 3-4 hours. Remove chicken, cool slightly, remove meat from the bones.
Now, my slow cooker insert can be removed and used on the stovetop, so that’s what I did to finish the sauce. But if you don’t have that kind, you could pour it out into a saucepan (probably a better option). Or, just turn the slow cooker to high (put the lid back on) and get that juice to boil. Add the sugar (if using) and the pomegranate molasses. You want to boil down the broth. A lot harder to do in a slow cooker. If you leave the lid off it may never boil. If you leave it on, the boiling liquid inside can’t escape (most returns to the broth via steam). So, leave it on until it reaches a boil, then tilt the lid slightly so the steam can escape. You need the broth to reduce down and get a little thicker.
At the end you return the chicken to the pot just to reheat it all. Serve it over rice. This has a very different taste – it’s about the walnuts. For one chicken, 3 cups of walnuts is a LOT of nuts. I think next time I might use a bit less. But you don’t really KNOW they’re walnuts. They don’t turn to mush. But they’re not firm, either. Not soft like onions, but not in the least bit crisp. Nothing else has the texture quite like a cooked walnut. I saw one version on the internet (when I was researched the culinary history of this dish) that included a chopped onion. I think I’d add that next time. And although I did boil down the sauce on the stove, as instructed, I ended up with not enough liquid. I wanted a bit more for the rice.
Note that there is no salt added. Or pepper. I did when it was served, but it only needed a tiny amount. So this is good if you’re on a salt-restricted diet. I use a low sodium chicken broth too. And, although I had to use a whole chicken, chicken thighs are best for this. The chicken breast meat was overcooked. Only dark meat can withstand that kind of long cooking and still retain some moisture. I used a LOT less sugar also (only a couple of tablespoons). If you or your family like sweet meat, then by all means add in all the sugar. The calorie count on this one is high because of the nuts. But they’re the good kind of fat, remember. The nuts make the dish. And the pomegranate molasses adds an elusive flavor to it. I’d make this again. I’d just add onion, and retain more of the liquid. And, I’d follow the recipe exactly, using chicken thighs. This whole dish could easily be made on the stovetop too. Probably cooked for about an hour only.
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Fesenjen (Afghan Chicken with Walnuts & Pomegranate – in a Slow Cooker)
Recipe: Secrets of Slow Cooking by Liana Krissoff
Servings: 4
NOTES: If you use the sugar (traditional) it can be very sweet. The pomegranate molasses makes it very mildly sweet. You can tinker with the sugar (adding half as much, for example) and see if you like it that way. Do use chicken thighs. Add an onion. Also, don’t boil out all the fluid – you want it to help “gravy” the rice. Add some pepper and perhaps salt at the table. Next time I might just make this on the stovetop.
2 pounds skinless chicken thighs
3 cups walnuts
1 whole bay leaf
1 2/3 cups chicken broth — or water
1/2 cup sugar — (optional)
1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds — or dried barberries, or dried cranberries
1. Place chicken thighs on the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. In a large skillet, toast the walnuts over med-high heat about 3 minutes until they’re golden/medium brown.
3. Transfer walnuts to a food processor and finely chop them then add to the slow cooker. Add the broth or water and bay leaf. Cover the slow cooker.
4. Cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken is tender.
5. Use tongs to remove the chicken. Allow to cool, then pull the meat off the bones & set the meat aside
6. Turn the cooker to high and stir in the sugar and pomegranate molasses.
7. Cook 1 hour or until the sauce is thickened and simmering. (If you prefer a thicker sauce, transfer it to a saucepan instead and boil for 20-25 minutes)
8. Return the chicken to the sauce and cook until the chicken is heated through.
9. Discard the bay leaf. Serve over rice, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.
Per Serving (the calories are in the walnuts – reduce the amount and you’ll have a much lower calorie dish): 945 Calories; 59g Fat (53.4% calories from fat); 50g Protein; 65g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 107mg Cholesterol; 446mg Sodium.
A year ago: About the bugs that arrived in my pantry who ate a whole lot of chocolate, and a year later, they’re still there, although in far fewer numbers. Requires me to put nearly everything in heavy-duty plastic bags or sealed boxes, particularly grains and flours.
Two years ago: Calabacitas con Crema (oh yum, luv this stuff – it’s a mixed vegetable with corn and chiles and a touch of cream). I posted a second recipe that day (why?) called Crostini with Apples, Blue Cheese and a drizzle of honey. Has become one of my favorite appetizers.
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