13 | February | 2016 | On the Menu @ Tangie's Kitchen

February 13, 2016 Tangie Holifield

Persian Chicken with Pomegranate and Walnuts

Photo Credit: Scott Phillips

The slow cooker makes this classic Middle Eastern dish a breeze, mostly because the spices mellow slowly into a sweet, aromatic sauce. The walnuts should be finely chopped into bits smaller than grains of rice, or even ground if you want a somewhat smoother sauce. Serve the chicken over long-grain saffron rice.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, halved
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 cups toasted walnut pieces, very finely chopped or ground
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
Fresh pomegranate seeds, for garnish
Long grain rice, for serving

Directions:
Mix the sugar, cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, allspice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Add the chicken and coat evenly. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the walnuts and continue cooking, stirring almost constantly, for 2 minutes, until the nuts are lightly browned.

Stir in the pomegranate molasses, then scrape the contents of the skillet into a 6-quart slow cooker. Spoon the spiced chicken on top of the cooked onion mixture, scraping any spices that cling to the bowl into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 3 1/2 to 5 hours. Season to taste with salt, stir in half of the pomegranate seeds, and garnish with the remainder.

Serve family style.

February 13, 2016 Tangie Holifield

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Photo Credit: thekitchn.com, 2014

Pomegranates are so commonly used in Middle Eastern Dishes and can be found in most local supermarkets through out the United States. The seeds and the juice are great sources of anti oxidants.

Photo Credit: thekitch.com, 2014

Sometimes, you will run across a recipe that calls for pomegranate molasses. You can easily buy a good bottle of pomegranate molasses of syrup, but is so easy to make it home with simple ingredients that you can also pick up at your local supermarket, if you do not have them on hand in you pantry already. The best thing about making pomegranate molasses at home in your kitchen and have on hand at any time you might needed it.

And the great thing about pomegranate molasses is that it has a myriad of uses. Check out the 5 ways to use pomegranate molasses at thekitchn.com.

Yields 1 cup of Molasses or 1 1/2 cup of Syrup

Ingredients:
4 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
For Molasses: Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a 4-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 cup, approximately 70 minutes. It should be the consistency of thick syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and allow to cool completely before covering and storing in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

For Syrup: Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a 4-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 1/2 cups, approximately 50 minutes. It should be the consistency of syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and allow to cool completely before covering and storing in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.