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    Home » Recipes » Chicken with Pomegranate Molasses

    Chicken with Pomegranate Molasses

    Summer's coming and we can all do with some quick chicken recipes that require minimum effort and taste amazing.

    My sticky chicken drumsticks with pomegranate molasses certainly qualify and will soon become a regular at your table.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Variations
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • Top tip
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    Pomegranate molasses (or rub ruman as it is known in Lebanon) is made from reducing the juice of pomegranates with some sugar. It is easily available in most shops these days and can even be brought online.

    Good pomegranate molasses is dark and thick and oozes out of the bottle slowly. I prefer ones that lean on the sour side though some do have sweeter notes in them.

    chicken with pomegranate molasses

    When you find your perfect brand of pomegranate molasses you will just know, like true love it cannot be explained in mere words.

    The main ingredients for this dish are

    • Pomegranate molasses
    • Spices
    • Chicken

    My other secret ingredient for this marinade is a little soy sauce to balance out the sourness with a little saltiness. You didn't see that one coming did you!

    Instructions

    So as with any marinade, ideally you want all the flavours to sing and dance together for at least 24 hours. If not then at least a good few hours.

    If you just do one hour it won't have time to soak into the flesh of the chicken and the end result will not be as stunning.

    chicken with the marinade

    I usually like to cook chicken on with the skin as it keeps the flesh moist and prevents it from drying out in the oven.

    When rubbing in the marinade, peel back the skin and make sure you get some marinade underneath.

    Variations

    Marinades are just guides, you can adjust some of the spices to your liking. Usually this means increasing a ¼ teaspoon to ½ so don't go too wild.

    You can make variations of the same dish by changing a few things round to emphasise an aspect of the dish. For example:

    • Spicy - add ¼ teaspoon of chilli powder or some of your favourite hot sauce for an extra kick.
    • Sticky - add a tablespoon of honey to make it extra sticky
    • Child friendly - Instead of using drumsticks, most kids prefer chicken breast. Just don't dry out the chicken when baking.
    sticky chicken drumsticks

    Equipment

    I used a non stick pan to bake the chicken in. You can use any sized bakeware that means there is enough space for all the chicken to sit in comfortably.

    If you crowd the chicken too much it will boil and not have enough space to crisp up, so use two pans if you have to.

    Storage

    You can store any cooked chicken in the fridge up to 3 days.

    If you know you've made too much chicken, it's always better to freeze before you cook it and it will easily store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

    quick and easy chicken with pomegranate molasses

    Top tip

    Although I have baked this recipe meaning it's on the healthy side, you can also use the exact same recipe to grill on the barbecue.

    My favourite way to eat these is with some homemade fries and salad like fattoush. What else could you want on a lazy summer day.

    📖 Recipe

    5 from 3 votes
    Print

    Chicken with Pomegranate Molasses

    Baked Sticky chicken drumsticks

    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Lebanese
    Keyword BBQ, Chicken, Crowd pleaser, Quick and Easy
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 35 minutes
    Servings 4 people
    Author Zaatar and Zaytoun

    Ingredients

    • 1 kg chicken drumsticks approx 8
    • 2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoon regular olive oil (drizzle)
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon 7 spice
    • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

    Instructions

    1. In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except the chicken and stir well.

    2. Then add the washed chicken and rub the mixture well with your hand, peeling back any skin and making sure there is marinade underneath.

    3. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight, ideally for 24 hours

    4. Takeout the chicken at least half an hour before cooking to bring up to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 180c/350f.
    5. Add the chicken to a non stick baking tin and bake for 30 minutes turning the drumsticks halfway through.

    Recipe Notes

    Instead of baking you can also grill the chicken on the BBQ.

    If you make any of our recipes let us know how it went by giving us a star rating below.

    We have a lively Facebook group where we post frequent recipes and discuss Lebanese cooking in general, as well as a handy Pinterest page where you can save all of your favourite Zaatar and Zaytoun recipes.

    You might also like these other recipes from the Zaatar and Zaytoun collection:

    • Coriander Chicken Drumsticks
    • Lebanese chicken and rice (Rez a djaj)
    • Hareesa (Chicken & Wheat Porridge)
    • Jawaneh (Lebanese Chicken Wings)
    « Hareesa (Chicken & Wheat Porridge)
    Sayadieh (Fish and rice) »

    Why not share our recipe with your friends?

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hadi

      May 15, 2022 at 6:53 am

      5 stars
      Sticky and yummy

    2. Maria

      June 01, 2022 at 2:26 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness this was so delicious and sticky. I put some extra rub ruman on top.

    3. Murad

      September 08, 2022 at 11:48 pm

      5 stars
      This is great!!

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    Recipe Rating




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    Teta

    Ahlen I'm Yosra, a Lebanon born - London based foodie. Welcome to my kitchen.

    Here you'll find recipes collected from my Lebanese Mama (pictured), some regional classics and some secret family recipes.

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