Pomegranate Chicken with Nut Relish

A lovely marinade that works on salmon and chicken both, yielding flavorful meat and a low-lift meal prep. I love the salmon version as a salad topper (with or without the nut relish); so much so, in fact, that I will double the recipe to have leftovers on purpose!

Pomegranate Chicken with Nut Relish

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 6), patted dry

6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

½ tsp. salt, plus more

Freshly ground pepper

⅓ cup pomegranate molasses

2 Tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. ground cumin

Nut relish

1 cup raw pistachios or walnuts

1 garlic clove, finely grated

½ tsp. crushed Aleppo or red pepper flakes

1 large scallion, thinly sliced on a diagonal

Note: You can also make this with salmon. Use the same marinade with the same amount of salmon filets. Baking time will be 15-17 minutes on 375 or until done to your liking. You can broil for a short period - last 2 or 3 minutes if you want a bit of extra crunch.

Directions

Place a rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 400°. Place 1½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 6), patted dry, in a large bowl. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil over, season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and toss to coat.

Whisk ⅓ cup pomegranate molasses, ¼ Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and 2 tsp. ground cumin in a small saucepan. Season freshly ground pepper. Toss half the marinade with the chicken pieces. You can let this marinate up to 4 hours ahead.

Arrange chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until lightly browned, 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from oven.

Meanwhile, toast 1 cup raw walnuts in a single layer on another rimmed baking sheet, stirring once, until golden brown, 5–8 minutes. Remove from oven.

Set reserved sauce in pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Heat broiler. Brush chicken with sauce, then broil until cooked through and deeply browned and blistered in spots, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and brush with more sauce.

Coarsely chop nuts and transfer to a medium bowl. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt to taste, and remaining 5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and mix to combine walnut relish. Stir in chopped scallions.

Transfer chicken to a platter and spoon walnut relish over.

Enjoy!