Khoresh Fesenjan (also known as khoresh fesenjoon) is a sultry, rich, comforting, sweet, and sour Persian stew that is easily my all-time favorite Iranian dish. Persian pomegranate walnut chicken stew is made with sweet pomegranate molasses and savory, nutty toasted walnuts creating a thick sauce that coats pieces of chicken in the most delicious and decadent way. In this recipe, I pare down a traditionally labor-intensive meal to a simplified Instant pot recipe, keeping the expected flavors and main ingredients.
Khoresh Fesenjan originated in the northern region of Iran in the Gilan province, near the cat’s neck – if you are Persian you will know what that means (the country Iran is shaped like a cat when you view it on a world map). Fesenjan is also said to have come from Azerbaijan where my father is from which could be why I love it so much – it’s in my roots.
One of the things that’s interesting about khoresh is that it can be made in a variety of ways, affecting both the taste and the aesthetic of the dish.
Meat options for fesenjoon include any of the following:
- poultry – chicken or duck (traditionally bone-in)
- Persian meatballs (ground meat shaped into mini balls)
- lamb
My grandma made it with chicken while Bob’s grandma used to make it with the mini Persian meatballs. I find both to be very delicious although my preference leans towards preparing it with chicken.
Some regions in Iran add eggplant to this dish. If I were to make it without meat I would double up on walnuts for extra nut protein. Walnuts are naturally oily and add to the richness of this dish. Toasting nuts really brings out the extra flavor and provides some texture. I recommend toasting the walnuts before adding them into the pot.
There are a couple of factors that contribute to the variance in the hue and color of this khoresh (Farsi for stew, served with rice). Using toasted walnuts will result in a deeper brown color, versus a lighter, tan color if using raw nuts. The ratio of pomegranate molasses to walnuts will also affect the color of the stew. The more pomegranate, the redder the final stew will be.
As I mentioned, depending on who is making it, the spices for this dish will vary. Most will use turmeric and cinnamon. Some will add saffron, cardamom, and rosebud.
To make this stew I use ALL of my favorite Persian spices.
Spices for our recipe:
- turmeric
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- saffron
My suggestion is to follow this recipe if it’s your first time making it, then adjust and tweak the spices to your liking to make it your own. In fact, that is exactly what Iranian families do. They use secret spices to make each dish unique so that depending on whose hands have touched it, it will taste special.
The best way to enjoy Persian pomegranate walnut chicken stew is on top of a steaming mound of Persian rice! In our quick Instant pot version here, you can get your rice made from start to finish while the stew is cooking down using a rice cooker (see our popular post for How to Prepare Persian Rice in a Rice Cooker). In a pinch, I sometimes serve this delicious sweet stew Sloppy Jo style and have come to call this modern version, FesenJoe! If you are looking to cut down on white carbs, try Fesenjoe between two whole-wheat hamburger buns for a scrumptious new dinner idea.
Pomegranate Molasses
Gathering the ingredients, the one ingredient that is a bit of a challenge to find is pomegranate molasses. Most middle eastern markets carry it. I have found a brand where the pomegranate juice is sweetened with dates (vs. sugar) at Whole Foods. For those who are feeling ambitious, try making it from scratch. However you brew it – the main components in pomegranate molasses are pomegranate juice, sugar (or date syrup), and lemon juice.
Making khoresh fesenjan is a great excuse to break open a beautiful, ripe pomegranate. Pomegranate arils add sophistication to a platter as well as a pop of color, flavor, and texture.
The bright jewel-colored pomegranate arils are lovely as a garnish sprinkled over this stew.
I love sprinkling poms to add Persian flair to just about anything. My favorite way to deseed a fresh, ripe Pomegranate is using the underwater method.
I hope this post has inspired you to try making Persian pomegranate walnut chicken stew (in Farsi Khoresh Fesenjan/Fesenjoon). Serve it on top of a bed of steaming saffron rice with a side of Mast o Khiar| Persian Cucumber Yogurt and Salad Shirazi | Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad.
For a vegan option, enjoy Vegan Pomegranate Walnut Sauce on Meatless Mondays.
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That’s NOT Khoresh Fesenjan. I’m persian myself and this is not how we do it.
Hi Sanaz jan, I appreciate your honest comment. I am an American-raised Iranian and a very modern one at that! (listen to our podcast, Modern Persian Food episode #16 for more details)… I sure hope that our short cuts and this healthy, new version has not offended you in any way. It is my mission and goal to make old, traditional recipes more accessible to our everyday, modern lives given the ingredients and time constraints we have in today’s lifestyle. Please feel free to share how YOU love to make delicious fesenjan, it must be very delicious in your traditional recipe! – and many blessings to you! <3 Bita
Shanaz is right. You don’t need olive oil, turmeric, lemon juice, cranberry juice, saffron, and cardamom.
500g walnut, toasted and gradually bring it to slow boil with the help of ice cubes. That trick brings out the natural oil from walnut. Than add one grind onion. After you see the natural oil, add pomegranate molasses . Then add chicken or turkey meatballs. It has to be sweet and sour. ( you can add little sugar if your molasses is too sour).
This the most traditional recipe form grandmothers.
Hi Kim! Thank you so much for your comment and your input on this favorite recipe. Sounds like my modern recipe here has a lot of extra flavors that can be skipped. What an interesting tip about the ice cubes! That is the first time I am hearing that and I’ll try that with the stovetop method. I love that you have held on to a traditional family recipe. I only wish I would have gotten the one from my own grandmother – hers was the best :). I have very fond memories of it. We endearingly called her “Maman Doe” because she was like a 2nd mom to us. Have you tried making yours in the Instant Pot?
Bita, I proved my Persian husband wrong about learning to cook Persian food and according to him and others in his family, I learned well. That said, there are several ways to make each dish depending on the cook—not to be crass buts it’s like lasagna—everybody’s take has a different wrist. I recently found a recipe for Instant Pot Ghormeh Sabzi and it meets my usual 3.5 hour version but saves 2.5 hours of time and tastes very bit as delicious. Can’t wait to try your take on IP fessenjoon. Bet the doubters would be well served to try it.
Hi Chef Morshed – very nice to meet you here. Welcome to the Oven hugging community! Thank you for sharing and I agree with you – we all have our versions and the important thing is to try and keep some rendition of the ancient dishes going. Ghormeh Sabzi is definitely on my to do list and I’d love to try an Instant Pot version of it. Can’t wait to hear your feedback on our fesenjoon recipe here! It pleased my heart to hear our older daughter (now in college) share with the extended family (grandmas and aunties included) that my fesenjoon is her favorite Persian dish. I hope that she tries making it, and undoubtedly she will make adjustments that suit her tastes and lifestyles, one day soon in her own place. Many thanks, Bita
Made this last PM. Persian Prince (my mother’s name for him) pronounced it best fessenjan EVER! And his sister and his cousin’s wife are such good cooks but this is extra mmmmmm. I’m not Persian but I rose to the challenge of learning because it’s actually near impossible to find anyone who has tried Persian food that doesn’t fall in love with it. My only change was I toast my nuts in the microwave to save some energy and time. Four minutes on high and then one minute increments until I get them right. Took six total, no preheating. And for the doubters- my initial fesenfan recipe takes about 2.5 hours, lots of babysitting and steps and was from a famous Persian chef (including chicken stock) and this is an equal once you boil down the sauce to thicken. Bonus: two less cups of walnuts, saving caries and money! Thank you Bita!
Hi Linda, welcome! You are now officially an ovenhugger :). Shall we make t-shirts? Your comment made my day. I love hearing that you loved this recipe, that it saved you time, and that the Persian Prince pronounced it the best fesenjan ever! My goodness! We may need to add that officially as a review. Would you be so kind as to leave a star rating on the recipe? It helps us out a lot (you know, the Google analytics and all). How interesting that you toast your nuts in the microwave. I have never heard of that or tried it. I love toasted nuts so much in just about everything so I will experiment and many thanks for including your steps for how to do so. Just this morning I toasted some raw slivered almonds in our toaster oven to include in my fruited oatmeal bowl…mmmm, makes the house smell so so delicious just simply toasting nuts. What do you mean about 2 less cups of walnuts? Did you use less walnuts than my recipe when you made it. So fun sharing and thank you again!