Fesenjoon | Persian Pomegranate and Walnut Stew (khoresh fesenjan خورش فسنجون)

Fesenjoon is a Persian stew made with ground walnuts, onions and pomegranate. Also pronounced, fesenjan, it can be made with chicken or duck, or you can leave the meat out and keep it vegan. Find more of my pomegranate recipes.

If you didn’t know, the fall season is pomegranate season. And if you have been following my blog, then you know that my family are absolute fanatics when it comes to this beautiful fruit.

My kids inhale a bowl of pomegranate seeds every single day when we have it available. And I’m a happy mom because I know they are getting a fantastic dose of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants that is bursting within this bejeweled fruit.

Middle-easterners have always loved their pomegranates. They are used in all aspects of cooking. It has taken some time, but I’m happy to see Westerners enjoying this stunning fruit. Give a kid a bowl of pomegranate seeds and see their faces light up!

Today I am sharing a wonderful savory dish that features, you guess it, pomegranates. And boy is it amazing!

Why you must try this recipe

Khoresh Fesenjan is a very popular Persian stew that stands out amongst all of the stews that come from Iran. Most Persian stews feature a vegetable. Many are tomato based, like Persian eggplant stew (khoresh bademjan) and string bean stew (khoresht loobia sabz).

Other Persian stews are herb based, like our oh-so-delicious herb stew (ghormeh sabzi) and celery stew (khoresh karafs). But fesenjoon is unique, as it is made with crushed walnuts, onions and pomegranate concentrate.

You can serve fesenjoon with just this walnut sauce and keep it vegetarian. But usually, it is served with duck, chicken or even meatballs. Since duck meat is hard to find in the US, I usually use chicken thighs.

The stew is served on a bed of Persian rice. But because of its rich nutty flavor, it is equally delicious with brown basmati rice.

This is a very hearty stew and can be served for a family meal or even special occasions. With its unique flavor profile, your guests will be wowed over this middle eastern version of a sweet and sour meal.

I learned how to make khoresh fesenjoon from Sholeh, a family friend. Everyone raves that her fesenjoon is the best and so I knew that I had to learn from her. Sholeh’s secret to making the best tasting fesenjan is to brown the ground walnut-onion mixture first. And when I say brown the mixture, I mean cook it slowly until it turns dark brown, like a roux.

Ingredients you need

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• Onions: The simple brown onion is perfect for this dish. Vidalia onions are a little sweeter and could also be used, if you want.
• Walnuts: The base of this stew is made with walnuts so make sure your walnuts are not stale. Also you do not want them salted. If you are allergic to walnuts you could use pecans.
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Traditionally, this dish is made with duck breast. But I prefer to use chicken thighs as it is more commonly available. If you prefer white meat, you can also use chicken breast. You can also use bone in chicken thighs or chicken leg quarters. I find that using boneless thighs is easier when cooking for a crowd because all of the meat is cut up prior to serving.
• Pomegranate molasses: If I can find it, I prefer to use pomegranate concentrate in my cooking, so I can control the amount of sugar in my recipes. If you use concentrate, you will need to add a couple tablespoons of sugar to balance the tartness. If you are using pomegranate molasses, sugar is already added and you do not need the additional sugar.
• Saffron: You do not need much saffron for fesenjoon. The saffron is crushed in a mortar and pestle and then steeped in hot water. Choose a high quality saffron that have long crimson strands.
• Pomegranate arils: I like to garnish this stew with fresh pomegranate arils, but this is not necessary to make the stew.
• Pantry staples: Extra virgin olive oil, granulated sugar (optional) salt and pepper

Step-by-step directions

1. Peel and chop onions into large chunks and place in the bowl of your food processor. Using the blade, pulse until the mixture is smooth.

2. Add walnuts and purée with the onions. Scrape down sides of the bowl and pulse in the food processor until onions and walnuts are completely blended and a thick paste is formed.

3. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet heat over medium-high and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add the chicken. Cook until browned, approximately 3-5 minutes.

Turn chicken over and brown the other side. Transfer chicken to a serving dish and continue browning the remaining chicken.

4. You will have browned bits of chicken on the bottom of the pan. Leave it as you will cook it with the walnut mixture. Add the onion-walnut mixture into the bottom of the pan and spread it evenly over the bottom of the skillet.

5. Cook the mixture on medium-low heat and let the walnut mixture slowly cook and brown. Continue to stir and remix the paste, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

If the bits are hard to scrape up, add a little water (I’m talking teaspoons) to help it deglaze. Do not burn the mixture. If it is cooking too fast, reduce the heat. Keep cooking the mixture and stirring it until the walnut-onion mixture is deep brown in color and crumbly. This should take about 1 hour.

Remember, that this is done slowly. You do NOT want to burn the walnuts or else it will taste horrible and you will have to throw it away and start again. Also, make sure you use fresh walnuts and not stale walnuts. Stale walnuts have a bitter aftertaste and can ruin your stew.

Most other fesenjan recipes do require this browning step. They simply add the walnut paste directly into the stew with the rest of the ingredients. But I promise you that your fesenjoon will taste 100x better by doing this extra step. 

So be patient, it is so worth the wait. This dish is rich and so full of amazing flavors.

6. Stir the bloomed saffron and pomegranate concentrate into the walnut-onion mixture and continue cooking it. If the sauce needs thinning, drizzle in water as needed.

Different brands of pomegranate concentrate vary in flavor and sweetness. If your pomegranate concentrate is too sour, stir in a little sugar until desired sweetness. If you are using pomegranate molasses, it is already sweetened with sugar, so no additional sugar is needed.

7. Cut the chicken into strips and add it to the pomegranate sauce. Simmer until the color darkens and the chicken absorbs some of the sauce and flavor, about 20 minutes.

8. The stew can be cooled and refrigerated at this point until ready to serve. Simply reheat in a pot or in the oven until warmed through, adding water if the stew seems dry. Garnish with pomegranate arils, if using, upon serving.

Recipe tips and FAQs

Intimidated with pomegranate? Sure, you can buy packages of pomegranate seeds at the store, but it’s really not that hard to seed a pomegranate. Watch the video above or read detailed instructions on how to seed a pomegranate.

If you are lucky to enough have a hoard of pomegranates on hand, I also have a great detailed post on how to juice a pomegranate.

You can use store bought of homemade pomegranate molasses or concentrate. Pomegranate concentrate is just pomegranate juice that has been reduced down by 50%. My friend Beth, at OMG Yummy, has great instructions on how to make pomegranate molasses here.

As I mentioned above, you can also make this dish with bone in chicken thighs or leg quarters. Simply brown the chicken first and let it finish cooking in the sauce until no longer pink inside.

My family are hearty eaters and like more meat in their stews. You can use less than what I have listed in the recipe card below, if you want more sauce than meat. Remember, the sauce is rich and made with protein rich walnuts.

I like to serve this stew over Persian rice, white basmati rice steamed and topped with saffron. It is also delicious with brown basmati rice. I also like to serve it with mast o khiar (yogurt with cucumbers) and fresh herbs (sabzi khordan). You can also serve it with Shirazi salad (cucumber tomato salad).

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

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This post was first published in 2012. It has been updated with more information and new photographs.