Khoresh Morgh Nardooni | Pomegranate Chicken Stew

Name: Khoresh Morgh Nardooni | Pomegranate Chicken Stew
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Ingredients: Chicken thighs, 4 pcs; Medium pomegranate, 1 piece; Prune, 8 pcs; Large onion, 1-2 pcs; Garlic, 4 cloves; Pomegranate paste, 2 tablespoons; Liquid oil, As much as needed; Salt, black pepper, and turmeric, As much as needed; Salt, black pepper, and turmeric, As much as needed; Pomegranate Juice, 1 liter

By Fatemeh Baniali On Nov 4, 2023 Last updated Feb 1, 2024

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

5/5 - (1 vote)

Khoresh Morgh Nardooni is a traditional and authentic Gilanian dish that is cooked more when the pomegranate season begins (autumn). This dish is usually served with rice, kateh rice, or bread.

Nardoon means pomegranate seed in the Mazandaranian language and Nardooni stew is one of the delicious dishes of the cities and villages of Mazandaran.

This dish has other names, such as Nardooni chicken, garlic and pomegranate stew, and onion and pomegranate stew, and it is more famous as the night food of Northern Yalda that we mentioned in Yalda night article in Cookery Magazine.

Table of Contents:

Ingredients for making Khoresh Morgh Nardooni

Chicken thighs	4 pcs
Medium pomegranate	1 piece
Prune	8 pcs
Large onion	1-2 pcs
Garlic	4 cloves
Pomegranate paste	2 tablespoons
Liquid oil	As much as needed
Salt, black pepper, and turmeric	As much as needed
Salt, black pepper and turmeric	As much as needed
Pomegranate Juice	1 liter

Recipe for making Morgh Nardooni

The first step

First, clean the chicken and cut it into desired pieces.

Then, cut the onion into julienne or dice, then put a suitable pot on the heat, and pour some liquid oil into it, and after the oil is hot, add the chopped onion to the pot and fry it a little until it becomes soft.

The second step

After the onion becomes soft and transparent, add some black pepper and turmeric to it and continue frying until the onion and spices are uniform; Then add the grated or chopped garlic to the onion and fry a little.

The third step

In the next step, add the cleaned and chopped chicken thighs to the pot and fry well until they are fried. Next, add the pomegranate paste to the pot and fry it with onion and chicken until the raw taste of the pomegranate paste is removed. And then add the pomegranate juice to the chicken and let the chicken cook.

The fourth step

Now add a few glasses of boiling water to the pot and let the chicken cook on low heat for 1 to 2 hours until it is completely soft.
In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add Prune, and in the last 15 minutes of cooking, deseed the pomegranate and add the pomegranate seeds to the stew.

The fifth step

At the end, taste the stew and add some sugar if you want.

The important thing about Morgh Nardooni is that this dish is served with little water, so the stew should be kept on the heat until the stew falls into the oil, after it is ready, serve it with kateh or rice.

You can also use dried seeds instead of fresh pomegranate seeds in this dish. Dried pomegranate seeds are available for purchase in most northern cities.

Golden tips for having the best Pomegranate Chicken Stew

In order for the chicken to be cooked and delicious, it is better to season it beforehand with onion, salt, black pepper, and turmeric.
To make Morgh Nardooni taste better, it is better to use sour pomegranate juice.
You can also add some slivered pistachio or slivered almond to Morgh Nardooni.
You can use coriander powder, fenugreek, and paprika to season the chicken.
This dish is also prepared with dry pomegranate. If you use dry pomegranate, you must add tomato paste and more water to the stew. The use of tomato paste is optional, but it is recommended if you want to have a more colorful stew.

In the last quarter of cooking, we add pomegranate seeds. Do not close the container so that the color of the pomegranate seeds remains. Note: If the container is closed, the pomegranate seeds will turn white and lose their beauty.
If the pomegranate you use is too sour, you can add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the stew to get a sweet taste. Of course, the amount of sugar depends on how sweet you want the stew to be.
If the pomegranate paste is too sour, you can add a little sugar or plum blossoms, and if it is too sweet, use a little water or orange juice.
If the northerners want to give this dish a more formal and festive look, they use duck or goose meat instead of chicken. If you are preparing goose or duck Nardoon stew, you should add one or two more cloves of garlic and increase the cooking time.

Having a journey in the history of Khoresh Morgh

The exact date of the origin of Morgh Nardooni is not known, but some believe that this dish has existed since the Safavid era. At that time, Nardoni chicken was usually served at formal events and parties.

Currently, Morgh Nardooni is prepared in many countries of the world, including Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, and India. This food is different in each country according to local tastes and customs.

Conclusion

Thank you for being with us with this delicious and popular local food. If you have any questions, it’s my honor to answer. Enjoy your exploration of Persian cuisine!

Please share this article with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media. 🧡

Khoresh Morgh Nardooni | Pomegranate Chicken Stew

Recipe by Fatemeh BanialiCourse: Main CourseCuisine: Persian FoodDifficulty: Difficult

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hours

Calories

300

kcal

It is prepared from a combination of chicken cooked with pomegranate juice, onion, garlic, turmeric, and spices.

Ingredients

Chicken thighs, 4 pcs
Medium pomegranate, 1 piece
Prune, 8 pcs
Large onion, 1-2 pcs
Garlic, 4 cloves
Pomegranate paste, 2 tablespoons
Liquid oil, As much as needed
Salt, black pepper, and turmeric, As much as needed
Salt, black pepper, and turmeric, As much as needed
Pomegranate Juice, 1 liter

Directions

The first step
First, clean the chicken and cut it into desired pieces.
Then, cut the onion into julienne or dice, then put a suitable pot on the heat, and pour some liquid oil into it, and after the oil is hot, add the chopped onion to the pot and fry it a little until it becomes soft.
The second step
After the onion becomes soft and transparent, add some black pepper and turmeric to it and continue frying until the onion and spices are uniform; Then add the grated or chopped garlic to the onion and fry a little.
The third step
In the next step, add the cleaned and chopped chicken thighs to the pot and fry well until they are fried. Next, add the pomegranate paste to the pot and fry it with onion and chicken until the raw taste of the pomegranate paste is removed. And then add the pomegranate juice to the chicken and let the chicken cook.
The fourth step
Now add a few glasses of boiling water to the pot and let the chicken cook on low heat for 1 to 2 hours until it is completely soft.
In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add Prune, and in the last 15 minutes of cooking, deseed the pomegranate and add the pomegranate seeds to the stew.
The fifth step
At the end, taste the stew and add some sugar if you want. The important thing about Morgh Nardooni is that this dish is served with little water, so the stew should be kept on the heat until the stew falls into the oil, after it is ready, serve it with kateh or rice.
You can also use dried seeds instead of fresh pomegranate seeds in this dish. Dried pomegranate seeds are available for purchase in most northern cities.

Notes

In order for the chicken to be cooked and delicious, it is better to season it beforehand with onion, salt, black pepper, and turmeric.
To make Morgh Nardooni taste better, it is better to use sour pomegranate juice.
You can also add some slivered pistachio or slivered almond to Morgh Nardooni.
You can use coriander powder, fenugreek, and paprika to season the chicken.
This dish is also prepared with dry pomegranate. If you use dry pomegranate, you must add tomato paste and more water to the stew. The use of tomato paste is optional, but it is recommended if you want to have a more colorful stew.
In the last quarter of cooking, we add pomegranate seeds. Do not close the container so that the color of the pomegranate seeds remains. Note: If the container is closed, the pomegranate seeds will turn white and lose their beauty.
If the pomegranate you use is too sour, you can add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the stew to get a sweet taste. Of course, the amount of sugar depends on how sweet you want the stew to be.
If the pomegranate paste is too sour, you can add a little sugar or plum blossoms, and if it is too sweet, use a little water or orange juice.
If the northerners want to give this dish a more formal and festive look, they use duck or goose meat instead of chicken. If you are preparing goose or duck Nardoon stew, you should add one or two more cloves of garlic and increase the cooking time.