Walnut Pomegranate Grilled Chicken Recipes

WALNUT-POMEGRANATE-GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a shallow dish, soak bamboo skewers for 10 minutes.
• Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and cut into thin strips; season with the garlic powder and salt. Thread onto skewers and set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the walnut butter and pomegranate molasses or concentrate, mashing and stirring, or whisking the two together until fairly uniform. Add the port or apple juice, plus a little salt, to taste - stirring to combine. Set aside, near the stove.
• Place a small, heavy-bottomed skillet (just large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer) or a ridged grill pan over medium heat and wait for about a minute. Pour in the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the chicken skewers allowing some space between them and cook, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a metal spatula to carefully loosen each chicken filled skewer and flip it over, adding a little more oil if the pan seems dry. Cook on the second side for another 2 or so minutes, or until the bottom surface matches the top. You may need to lower the heat if the chicken begins to burn, or raise it if it is not browning quickly. To check for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer lengthwise into the thickest part. It should register 165°F; the meat should be opaque white throughout.
• Brush with about a teaspoon of the sauce on each piece of chicken during the last minute or so of cooking, spreading the sauce into place (you can use the back of a spoon or a brush). Transfer the chicken to a plate and let rest for about 2 minutes before serving. Serve hot, or at room temperature, with additional sauce spread on top, and pomegranate seeds to garnish.

GRILLED POMEGRANATE-GLAZED CHICKEN WITH TOMATO SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, paprika, allspice, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Place chicken in a large bowl and toss with spice mixture, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, thyme, and 6 of the chopped garlic cloves. Let rest for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature or as long as overnight in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before grilling.
• Prepare the grill for indirect heat. For a gas grill, set one side to high. For a charcoal grill, mound coals on one side, leaving the other side empty. Brush off garlic and herbs and put chicken pieces on the unlighted or empty portion of the grill. Close cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate and brush generously with 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses.
• Mash remaining garlic with a pinch of salt until it forms a paste. Toss the tomatoes with garlic paste, remaining 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses and basil leaves. Season with additional salt, to taste. Serve alongside chicken.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH WALNUT-POMEGRANATE SAUCE

Steps:

• For Sauce: Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes. Add walnuts. Sauté until nuts are slightly darkened, about 12 minutes. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made one day ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm, thinning with more broth if desired.).
• For Chicken: Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Mix molasses and cinnamon. Brush chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook chicken glazing in the last minutes of cooking.

WALNUT CHICKEN WITH POMEGRANATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Finely chop walnuts with flour in processor. Transfer to plate. Pound chicken between sheets of waxed paper to 1/4-inch thickness. Dip chicken into beaten egg, then into walnut mixture to coat. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
• Boil wine and shallots in heavy small saucepan until most of wine has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add broth, pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses and honey. Boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

FESENJAN (PERSIAN POMEGRANATE CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Toast and grind the walnuts: You can toast the walnuts in one of two ways. You can either spread them out in a single layer in a large skillet, and toast them on medium high heat, stirring frequently until lightly toasted, OR you can spread them out in a single layer in a baking rimmed baking sheet, and toast at 350°F in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. In either case, once toasted, remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, pulse in a food processor or blender until finely ground.
• Brown the chicken pieces on all sides: In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, pat the chicken pieces dry again and place the chicken pieces in the pan, working in batches if necessary to not crowd the pan, and cook until golden brown on all sides. Sprinkle the chicken with salt while they are cooking.
• Sauté the onions: Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the chicken from the pan, set aside. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Lower the heat to medium low. Add chopped onions to the pan and sauté until translucent, stirring on occasion to release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add chicken and stock: Return the chicken pieces to the pan with the onions. Pour 2 cups of chicken stock over the chicken and onions. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Add ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar, spices, cover and cook: Stir in the ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar, and spices. Cover and cook on very low heat for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so to prevent the walnuts from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and adjust sugar/salt to taste. At this point the chicken should be fall apart tender.
• Serve: Garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve over parsi pulao or other favorite rice. Links: Slow cooker pomegranate chicken salad from Lydia of The Perfect Pantry

KHORESH-E FESENJOON (PERSIAN CHICKEN STEW WITH POMEGRANATE AND WALNUTS)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts out on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown inside, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Remove chicken skin and discard or save for another use. In a large bowl, season the chicken with turmeric, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
• Set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add oil and carefully lay chicken thighs into the pot in a single layer. It is crucial to leave space between the pieces to allow steam to escape, so brown chicken in batches if necessary. Cook until browned on both sides, flipping halfway through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Add onion to pot with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes.
• In a food processor, grind the cooled walnuts as finely as possible without turning them into a paste. (Alternatively, you can chop the walnuts as finely as possible by hand.) Add 2 cups pomegranate juice and 1/4 cup molasses to the walnuts and continue blending until you have a very smooth paste.
• Add the walnut paste and remaining pomegranate juice to the pot. Season with salt and partly cover with a lid. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 2 hours. If the sauce begins to stick, stir in 1/4 cup water. The sauce will thicken and change color as it cooks, turning a deep, dark brown, similar to mole poblano.
• Add the saffron, and taste the sauce. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and pomegranate molasses as needed. The sauce should be delightfully sweet and sour, so add up to 2 teaspoons sugar, if needed, if it's too tart.
• Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until chicken is falling off the bone. Keep stirring regularly - the sauce should be thick, but not so thick that it sticks to the bottom of the pot, so add a splash of water as needed to prevent burning. Use a large spoon to skim away any walnut oil that has pooled on top of the stew. Taste and adjust seasoning, transfer to a serving dish and garnish with a sprinkling of fresh pomegranate seeds. Serve hot, with Persian rice, mast-o khiar and salad-e Shirazi if you like.

POMEGRANATE WALNUT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Saute the onion in 1 tablespoons oil till it is transparent.
• Fold in the chicken breasts and cook on either side until browned.
• Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and stir in the stock.
• Allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
• Fold in walnuts and pomegranate molasses.
• Simmer for 45 minutes and then serve with boiled rice.
• Enjoy!