Oh my god oh my god oh my god. I just finished eating this and I want to do it again.
I almost never cook out of season but I knew the moment I saw Amelia’s recipe for this rosewater chicken on Simple Provisions that I couldn’t wait for pomegranate season in the Fall. I had to make this immediately. Since the grill is already uncovered for Summer and a batch of mint exploding in the backyard, there seemed no reason to wait. The flavors of this dish are appropriate for any season. When Brad first tasted the tangy-sweet dressing, the cinnamon reminded him of Christmas but the smoky grilled chicken and fresh mint scream sunshine.
I picked up the rose water and pomegranate molasses at Tehran Market, a charming little Persian market near my office in Santa Monica. You should be able to find them at most specialty stores or at Amazon.com.
This version is slightly modified to reduce the calories. The nutritional information is probably still a bit inflated given the amount of marinade that is actually used. We served it with whole wheat cous cous mixed with dried fruit, pine nuts and parsley. It would also be great over mixed greens for a gluten-free, paleo-friendly dinner. The truly amazing thing about this is that, after marinating it overnight, it came together in under 30 minutes. Brad, who doesn’t always love Middle Eastern flavors as much as I do, raved and raved over this dish.
The pepper is a crucial part of this recipe and we were so lucky to have a stash of perfectly ripe Black Hungarian peppers in the backyard. I’ll use 3 peppers next time I make this. I think that next time might be tonight…
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp fresh fround pepepr
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 c rosewater
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 tbs flaked almonds
- 1/2 c pomegranate arils
- 1/4 c mint, chopped
- Dressing
- 2 small red chillies, thinly sliced
- 5 tbs pomegranate molasses
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbs rosewater
- 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions
Combine garlic, cinnamon, lemon juice, thyme, salt, pepper, rose water and olive oil. .
Place chicken in a baking dish or bowl and cover with the marinade. Marinate overnight, ideally, or at least 2 hours.
Heat grill to medium high heat. Cook chicken, turning once, until cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine dressing ingredients in a medium bowl.
Pour dressing over cooked chicken and top with almonds, pomegranate seeds, and mint.
Nutritional Information
Calories 495 / Total Fat 29.1g / Saturated Fat 2.8g / Trans Fat 0.0g / Cholesterol 0mg / Sodium 594mg / Potassium 439mg / Total Carbohydrates 24.0g / Dietary Fiber 2.9g / Sugars 15.6g / Protein 36.0g
Weight Watchers Points: 12 / PointsPlus: 13
I’m not sure if the Peter and the Star Catcher “Oh my gods” are warranted, but yes this was good. 🙂
Oh my gosh, YUM!! This looks fantastic! I’ll definitely try this soon.
P.S. I also think it’s cute that your husband commented on this. 🙂
He is pretty cute 🙂
I can’t wait to make this again with your homemade pomegranate molasses. I know it will be even better!
http://healthynibblesandbits.com/pomegranate-molasses/
Repurposed this recipe for a lamb leg and it was awesome. In case anyone wants to do the same, here’s how: Rubbed oil, salt and pepper on the leg, broiled it 5 minutes each top and bottom, THEN poured the marinade all over it, stuck it in the oven at 325 degrees loosely tented in foil and brought it to 130 degrees internal. Served on top of root vegetable mash with the pan drippings and then the dressing on top w the pomegranate, mint, etc.
It really lends itself perfectly to lamb!
Will totally try it with chicken soon. Thanks for the recipe!
Repurposed this recipe for a lamb leg and it was awesome. In case anyone wants to do the same, here’s how: Rubbed oil, salt and pepper on the leg, broiled it 5 minutes each top and bottom, THEN poured the marinade all over it, stuck it in the oven at 325 degrees loosely tented in foil and brought it to 130 degrees internal. Served on top of root vegetable mash with the pan drippings and then the dressing on top w the pomegranate, mint, etc.
It really lends itself perfectly to lamb!
Will totally try it with chicken soon. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh, and it took about an hour in the oven. Not bad at all.
Totally genius! This seems like a perfect fit for lamb – thank you so much for sharing!
You might want to fix your misspelled words in your ingredients.
Thanks so much for the heads up! I’ll take a look when ai have the opportunity!