A sweet and tart pomegranate chicken that easily comes together in ONE single pan with minimal ingredients! This succulently tender and juicy chicken is just as perfect for entertaining as it is for a quick weeknight meal!
How did the food blog seed get planted you ask? When a whole lotta people started asking me for the recipe after seeing this pic on Instagram:
Why this Recipe Works
- Marinating the chicken! Makes it tender and full of flavor!
- That sweet-sour sauce! The sweetness of the honey is beautifully balanced by the sourness of the vinegar and tartness of the pomegranate molasses.
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs! Gives us the juiciest most flavorful results! But technically any cut can work - simply adjust cooking times accordingly.
- Crispy skin & tender meat! As a result of cooking the chicken in the marinade while leaving the skin exposed.
- 1 single plan! For minimal clean up!
Pomegranate Chicken Ingredients
Chicken Thighs
For juiciest most flavorful results, use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs!
Though technically, any cut of chicken at all can work.
The chicken is fully cooked through when the internal temperature reaches 165 F on an instant read thermometer.
Remember, dark meat generally takes longer to cook than white meat (because of its higher fat content and density) though exact times also depend on the size of the cut.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken will take longer to cook than its bone-less, skin-less counterpart.
If using different cuts of chicken that finish cooking at different times, simply take the pieces that are all done out of the oven while the rest finish cooking.
Exact cooking times can be easily adjusted to accommodate any cut of chicken.
Pomegranate Molasses
Pomegranate molasses is a traditional ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking and is actually not molasses at all but rather a syrup made from reducing down pomegranate juice, with or without sugar, until it’ a thick, sweet and tart, syrup.
You can find it in the international section of most grocery stores or specialty stores or even make your own.
Look for a kind that doesn’t have a bunch of junk or additives.
Pomegranate Juice
The juice from one of the healthiest fruits on earth that’s filled with antioxidants. Look for a brand that free of artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors and preservatives.
Honey
Adding honey to the marinade helps achieve that beautiful golden brown chicken skin during baking and sweetens the marinade. Any sort of sugar will help get this impressive browning – can substitute the honey with brown sugar, maple syrup, agave or omit and add an extra tablespoon of pomegranate molasses.
Vinegar
The naturally sweet and tangy acidic balsamic vinegar tames as it cooks and beautifully balances the other flavors. In a pinch, most any vinegar will do for this recipe and you can experiment with different vinegars alone or in combination.
Pomegranate Seeds
Technically called pomegranate arils.
Tip: buy a whole pomegranate and de-seed it yourself! Freshly de-seeded aril will will consistently have much better flavor, texture and be higher quality than their pre de-seeded counterparts sold in plastic container at supermarkets these days.
If pomegranates are out of season, simply skip sprinkling with pomegranate arils post oven. YES, I recommend skipping this step over buying those out-of-season de-seeded pomegranate arils in plastic containers.
How to make this Pomegranate Honey Skillet Chicken
- Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Pour marinade over chicken. Let chicken chill in fridge at least 30 min and up to overnight in the fridge.
- When ready to roast, preheat oven to 400 F. Place chicken in skillet and pour in marinade. Roast.
- De-seed pomegranate. It’s a labor of love. Do it in a bowl over your sink. I recommend meditating at the same time. #multiasking
- For the last 12 minutes of roasting time (exact time depends on cut of chicken – see notes above), crank oven to 450 F so the sauce reduces, and the skin gets extra crispy.
Holiday Cooking Tip: to Holiday up any dish, both sweet and savory, to make it look festive, simply add pomegranate seeds!
It really is that easy!
For example: wanna Holiday up your cheese board? Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over it. Wanna Holiday up your cheesecake? Add some decorative pomegranate seeds. How about a salad? Yep yep…pomegranate seeds will do the trick. A little red juicy crunch added to any dish and just like that I present you the Holiday edition!
Cooks Tip
- Remember: Dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat. Adjust cooking times to accommodate cut of chicken.
- Use an instant read thermometer to ensure that your chicken comes out perfectly moist with crispy skin each and every time! It is done when the temperature reaches 165, regardless of cut.
- If pomegranates are out of season, simply skip sprinkling the fresh seeds on the chicken post oven!
- If you own a cast iron skillet, this is a great time to use it! If you don’t, any oven safe pan can work.
Minimal ingredients and effort result in this chicken dish that bursting with A TON of sweet and tart flavor! Done & done!
Stoked on succinctly tender chicken thighs full of fresh seasonal flavor? I got ya!
Check out:
Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with @DanielaGerson. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food!
Let’s make waves in the kitchen!
Posted in 2018, Updated 2020.
Pomegranate Skillet Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs or breasts if you prefer
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
- 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 lemon juiced
- 4 cloves garlic finely grated
- handful pomegranate seeds
- handful parsley
- kosher salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400.
- Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, season with salt and let sit while you make the marinade (up to 30 min is ideal).
- Whisk together olive oil, pomegranate molasses, pomegranate juice, honey, balsamic, lemon and garlic. Pour marinade over chicken, either in a bowl, glass Tupperware, or resealable plastic bag. Spread the marinade around so all the chicken is evenly coated and let sit at least 30min and up to over night in the fridge.
- To cook, place chicken skin side up in a roasting dish, then pour the marinade over the meat. The marinade should generously cover the bottom of the pan.
- Cook until the chicken is tender at the bone and a meat or instant read thermometer reaches 165 when inserted inserted in the thickest part (about 25 minutes for breasts and 45 for thighs. If using both light and dark meat, remove the breasts while the thighs keep cooking then return the breasts to the pan in the oven once the thighs are done.
- Crank the oven to 450 and let the sauce reduce and the skin get dark brown and crispy, about 12 min longer. Brush the chicken with the marinade from the pan every 3-4 minutes to glaze them.
- Serve warm and garnish with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley.
- Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Remember: Dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat. Adjust cooking times to accommodate cut of chicken.
- Use an instant read thermometer to ensure that your chicken comes out perfectly moist with crispy skin each and every time! It is done when the temperature reaches 165, regardless of cut.
- If pomegranates are out of season, simply skip sprinkling the fresh seeds on the chicken post oven!
- If you own a cast iron skillet, this is a great time to use it! If you don’t, any oven safe pan can work.
Can’t wait to make this delicious chicken ????
Thank ya so much! I’d happily make it for you too :). ??
Hi,
There's no garlic in the ingredients, but in step 3, garlic is mentioned. Can you please update the recipe?
Thanks
Hi! The garlic is there under the lemon and above the pomegranate seeds :). ?
Oops just re-read the recipe. Ignore my previous comment
Thanks
Oops! Just replied and will ignore now :). But most importantly... I’m super duper stoked you’re making this!!! How’d it come out? ?
Hi Daniela,
This recipe was the bomb! I'm going to repeat the marinade and try cooking the chicken on the stovetop.
I used a mix of dark and white meat, but I didn't have a cast iron skillet (just used a normal baking pan),
so the breast turned out a bit too dry, but the thighs were so juicy and flavorful!
Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Absolute pleasure and so super stoked to hear that! The white meat will cook faster than the dark so perhaps try taking the white meat out of the pan before the dark next time. Would love to hear how it goes on the stovetop and thanks so much for the feedback :)!!!
Another one of my favorites because it has pomegranate. Making the chicken to taste so moist and with the mild sweetness of the pomegranate makes this the perfect main dish.
Yessss!!! That’s exactly the idea! Thank you so much Alex! ☺️
Hi there! I would love to make this! What if I don’t have a skillet though? Can I use a normal baking pan in the oven? Thank you!
Hi and yes! Any sad oven baking pan can work! So stoked to hear you're making it :). Please let me know your thoughts after!
Can you clarify - the recipe says 25 min for thighs and 45 min for breasts, but then says to take out breasts because they cook faster. This seems contradictory and I'm just not sure which need to come out of the pan and which stays in. Also, is this cooked over a medium heat? Covered or uncovered?
Just realized this is cooked entirely in the oven. Because its called skillet chicken I assumed some was cooked on the stove. But can you confirm that as well?
Hi Alissa and yes it's all cooked in a skillet in the oven though you can always sear the chicken, skin-side down, on the stove before if you'd like. I see you have a question about cooking times too... I'm going to go through this recipe and carefully update it! Sorry if there's been any confusion with it + I'm so stoked to hear you're making it + thanks for taking the time to leave me the feedback. Breasts cook faster than thighs; the chicken is fully cooked through and ready when the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
It came out great and was universally loved! Thanks!
Woooohoooo's! Thanks so much for sharing Alissa! Really appreciate ya letting me know how it came out and super stoked to hear it was universally loved :)!
Hi Alissa and so sorry for the confusion! I updated the recipe so it's much more clear now. The chicken is cooked in the oven, uncovered :). Would love to hear your thoughts after ya make it :)!
So I used only boneless, skinless breasts as my wife does not like thighs. Came out incredible. I did not do the reverse seat at the end. I also had to make the pomegranate molasses. If you know your way around a kitchen it’s really doable. I always try to remember that this was made by poor people, recipes are just really nice ideas.
So stoked to hear your feedback Scott! That's so super rad that ya made your very own pomegranate molasses! And absolutely positively agreed that recipes are a modern day phenomenon :). Thanks for taking the time to share!
Planning to make tonight. What do you recommend serving this with?
So stoked to hear that! I'd rec going with Mediterranean/Middle Eastern flavors. And re-using the pomegranate molasses in either a salad dressing and/or a veggie dish. Something like a salad, roasted veggies (check out my cumin roasted carrots), and a rice pilaf. Let me know how it goes :)!
I am making this for my Christmas dinner but I would like to know what side dishes you would recommend to go along with this main course. Please let me know as soon as you can - in the meantime I am going to use a Spinach salad and either glazed carrots or green beans, I will let you know how it turned out.
So stoked to hear you're making this tonight! I'd rec going with Mediterranean/Middle Eastern flavors. And re-using the pomegranate molasses in either your spinach salad dressing and/or with your carrot side dish (can also check out my cumin roasted carrots). And a rice pilaf with green beans would also pair nicely. Let me know how it goes + ENJOY + Merry Christmas dinner :)!
I made this chicken last night and it looked/tasted AMAZING!! The dish pairs with orange wine very well
Thank you for sharing an awesome recipe, Daniela!
Absolute pleasure Arisa! Super stoked on your super sweet feedback! Thank ya so much for sharing + absolute pleasure :).
Was stunning. Just served this to my mates with roasted spicy veg - sweet potato, turnip and carrot cooked in honey, olive oil, sriacha sauce and chilli flakes. The two balanced out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe.
Absolute pleasure Mike + so stoked to hear ya served this to your mates + those roasted veggies sounds super delish!
Hi Daniela
This is a superb dish. I followed your recipe to the letter, marinating for a few hours and then cooking for 40 mins in total. You need to watch the last 10 mins at high heat because the skin can blacken in the blink of an eye. One thing I suggest is you let the chicken rest in a warmish place for 5 mins before serving while you carefully skim the oil that the chicken generates off the top of the remaining sauce. Otherwise that beautiful sauce separates into its component parts which detracts a little from the appearance. I served it on a bed of couscous, sprinkled on the pomegranates and parsley, a splash of sauce and had a garden salad on the side. Quick and delicious and amazingly inexpensive.
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this super useful feedback Susie + happy to incorporate your notes into the recipe + really appreciate it! Sounds delish how ya served it on couscous with salad + thanks again so much for sharing :).
Hi Daniela. Your recipe sounds super! Can you make it a day ahead? If so, would you wait to turn up the heat the day of the event so it gets crispy then? I'm making it this Tuesday for a Wednesday dinner, so hope you will read this and respond before then. Would have written you sooner but just found your wonderful recipe.
Karen
Hi Karen + hope I saw this in time! You can make the full recipe the day before and then heat it up in the oven at 350 F before serving. Let me know how it goes + I'd love to see a pic too :)!
Soon good. I made the molasses myself.
The dish itself was simple to make and super yummy!
I've been eating it as leftovers, and I believe it tastes better everyday!
So super stoked to hear that Lee + I really appreciate the sweet feedback! And that's so rad that ya made the molasses yourself! You're inspiring me to do the same next time :).
I've made this several times, and it turns out great!
Things I've tweaked: I always forget to buy pomegranate juice, so I've ended up just using extra pomegranate molasses, and that's seemed to work quite well
Just like you commented above Daniela, I find this is awesome when seared: I individually brown the pieces of chicken before putting everything in the oven, which lends a deep caramelized flavor.
I also find it easier to find drumsticks for some reason (and like the size better anyways), and they work well.
One final thing with drumsticks: I have found it takes longer than indicated in the recipe to get drumsticks to 165, well over an hour in a Dutch Oven (which could also just be a quirk of my oven)
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Daniela!
Absolute pleasure Larissa! Really appreciate you sharing your notes and feedback too! I love using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and will def double check on the drumsticks. Thanks so much for the comments :)!
Amazing dish! This has become a holiday favorite for my whole family. I opt to marinate on the long side--and the meat falls right off the bone.
So stoked to hear that Jennifer and thanks so much for sharing your sweet pomegranate chicken feedback :).
Hi. I am looking forward to trying this but due to the expense of the molasses and juice here in the UK, (they have to be used up within days of opening) would it be possible to batch make the marinade and freeze the rest of it for fiuture use?
So stoked to hear you want to make this Paula and absolutely yes! The marinade can be frozen for future use :). Please let me know how it turns out!
Could this dish be made ahead, frozen, and reheated?
Yep! Cooked chicken can be frozen. Allow it to cool to room temperature before freezing and enjoy Barbara!
Made this the first time while traveling in Turkey, where pomegranates and their molasses are plenty, served with lemon risotto. So good! We are in Malta now, where rabbit is common. Do you think it would work with rabbit? It’s a drier meat…
Thank you so much for sharing Carolin! So rad ya made it in Turkey where pomegranates are native! Never tried in with rabbit and absolutely think it can work ~ just modify the cooking time if necessary. Love to hear how it goes :).
Just made this dish and although I followed step by step my sauce was very thin… I was hoping it would be thick and sticky … thinking next time to possibly either add a slurry of cornstarch at the end or brown the thighs with flour first???? The sauce did not reduce when I bumped up the temperature
Thanks for the feedback Nancy! Def want your sauce to be thick and sticky too and sorry to hear it didn't turn out that way. You can always reduce the sauce on the stove and I'll double check the recipe. Hope you loved the flavors!