Jamie Oliver's Pomegranate and Chicken Stew
Here is another quite simple to make recipe that I adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipes posted on his website. You can serve it with rice, but I decided to serve it with mashed potatoes, and it was absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious! It is the perfect dish for these cold winter evenings.
Pomegranate and chicken stew
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole organic chicken cut into serving pieces, or 6 thighs, with bone in
1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
3 finely minced cloves of garlic
1 large thinly sliced yellow onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
one 14.5 ounce can of organic diced tomatoes, pulsed in a blender
12 fluid ounces pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Season the chicken parts with salt, paprika and freshly ground black pepper.
Brown the chicken in the oil for about 8 minutes or until brown on all sides.
Put the browned chicken pieces on a plate.
Add the sliced onion into the same pan, adding another tablespoon of olive oil if needed. Lower the heat. Stir the onion slices with a wooden spoon, mixing in whatever chicken bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook the onion slowly for another 10 minutes until the slices are very soft and opaque. Add the garlic and cilantro and cook for a few minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes, pomegranate molasses and pomegranate juice and bring to a boil.
Return the chicken with juices to the pan, cover the pan and lower the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes, or a little longer if needed, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is thickened. Check while the chicken is cooking to make sure the sauce isn't sticking to the pan.
Serve the chicken and pomegranate sauce with your favorite mashed potato recipe or steamed rice.
Note: Pomegranate molasses can be purchased in bottles at Middle Eastern shops or well-stocked grocery stores. If you can't find it, you can make your own by cooking down pure pomegranate juice until it is thick and syrupy.
