Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds skinless chicken legs or breasts, rinsed and patted dry

4 tablespoons olive oil

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

1 large or 2 small yellow onions, diced

2 beets, peeled, quartered, and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 1/2 cups walnuts, pulsed in a food processor until coarsely ground

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup unsweetened pomegranate syrup

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

1) Heat a skillet over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown lightly on both sides, working in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

2) Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions and cook until lightly browned. Add the beets, walnuts, garlic, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the pomegranate syrup and stock and bring to a boil. Cook at a low boil, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

3) The stew should be bubbling the whole time. Turn the chicken pieces over every 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and add salt. The beets should be fork-tender, and the stew liquid should be thickened.

4) To serve, transfer chicken to a cutting board. For chicken legs, separate the thigh from the drumstick. For breasts, slice each into 2 or 3 pieces. Put a small mound of rice on each plate with a few pieces of chicken on top. Spoon the stew over the chicken. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds and cilantro leaves on top.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount