Partially inspired by Bay Area institution La Mediterranee, this pomegranate chicken recipe is the perfect sweet-savory weeknight meal. The inclusion of Aleppo chile pepper and jalapeño adds an additional warmth and complexity to this dish. Serve with pilaf or couscous and dig in!
Recipe developed by Ray Seraphin
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves 4
2 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
2 tablespoons flake salt, divided (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon sumac
1 tablespoon Aleppo chile pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
2/3 cup pomegranate juice, no sugar added
2/3 cup low or no-sodium chicken broth
Pomegranate arils, chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
Pat chicken thighs dry and season with 1 tablespoon salt, turmeric, coriander, sumac, and Aleppo chile. Add oil to large cast iron frying pan or dutch oven and set to medium-high heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add chicken thighs to pan — skin side down. Brown on each side (approximately 3-4 minutes per side). Remove thighs from pan.
Turn pan to medium-low and add sliced onions and jalapeño. Sauté for 5 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook until aromatic — about 30 seconds.
Add tomato paste to pan and cook with the vegetables for 4 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Tomato paste should be fragrant and slightly caramelized.
Add 1 tablespoon salt, pomegranate molasses, pomegranate juice, and chicken broth to pan. Bring to a simmer and add chicken thighs back to the pan. Turn heat to low.
Cover the pan and allow chicken thighs to braise for about 50 minutes. Remove cover and allow chicken to cook for an additional 15 minutes. Chicken should be very tender and the sauce should be significantly reduced. Garnish with pomegranate arils and cilantro.
Way too much salt in this recipe. I should have used my better judgement when I saw 3 tbsp.
Yummy. Good but could be better with a few tweaks. Mostly it was just too salty as written. I would make it again but would likely cut the salt in half. I might also consider adding pruned or apricots. It wasn’t difficult but did take a long time.
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Erica Perez
January 31, 2023
Thank you for the feedback! We have adjusted the recipe to reduce the amount of salt.