Fustany Team 
We hear pomegranate molasses and suddenly the world is better...doesn't it just make everything better? Salad dressings, dips, sauces and today...chicken. Ramadan is coming to an end but we're still sharing with you some of our favorite recipes for Ramadan from our Chef Takeovers, you might even want to try them out for Eid. This time it's Chef, food photographer and food stylist Mariam Hamdy and her juicy but crispy on the outside Pomegranate Molasses Chicken paired with herbed freekeh...
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How to make Pomegranate Molasses Chicken and herbed freekeh by Chef Mariam Hamdy
Ingredients:
Chicken
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1/2 kilo baby potatoes cut into quarters
- 1/2 kilo baby onions cut into quarters
- 5 garlic cloves cut into quarters
- The leaves from 5 rosemary sprigs
Marinade
- 1 cup pomegranate molasses
- 1 onion grated
- 3 garlic cloves grated
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- The juice 3 lemons
- 1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp all spice
- 2 tsp thyme
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Freekeh
- 3 cups of freekeh (washed and drained)
- 6 1/2 cups of water
- 1 onion chopped finely
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 Tbsp coriander
- 2 Tbsp thyme
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cardamom pods
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped dill
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup chopped basil
- 1/4 cup thyme leaves
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Steps:
1. Add all the marinade ingredients into a bowl and mix them well together.
2. In a dish place so you chicken thighs and pour over them the marinade, covering them all really well. Cover the dish and leave it to marinade for an hour in the fridge.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
4. Add your potatoes, onions, garlic and rosemary leaves to a baking dish.
5. Place over them your chicken thighs and pour over the rest of the marinade, then place them in the oven.
6. After 20 minutes take them out so you can turn over the thighs, and place them with the skin side down. Also turn around the vegetables as well so that all sides get covered in marinade. Place it back in the oven.
7. After another 20 minutes, flip the chicken back again and mix the vegetables.
8. Baste the chicken, or take the liquid in the baking dish with a spoon and pour It over the thighs. Place it back in the oven for another 20 minutes.
9. Take the chicken out one last time and repeat the last step, basting the thighs.
10. Now broil the chicken for around 20 minutes so it can crisp up.
11. To cook the freekeh, start by sautéing onions in a pot with olive oil over medium heat.
12. You don't want the onions to get any color, you're just sweating them stirring for around 5 minutes.
13. Add the garlic and spices and stir until the garlic becomes fragrant.
14. Now add the freekeh and stir.
15. Add the water, rosemary, bay leave, cardamom and salt if needed, bringing to a boil then lowering the heat and covering to simmer for around half an hour or until it's cooked.
16. When it's cooked, take it off the heat and take out the bay leaf, cardamom and rosemary.
17. Stir well before adding the herbs and mixing it all together.
18. Place your freekeh on a serving dish and top with the chicken and vegetables.
