Sweet & Sour Chicken with Peaches

Heat a couple of glugs of olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven with a lid (less if your chicken is fatty). Rinse and pat dry the chicken pieces and then brown lightly on all sides in the hot oil. Remove the browned pieces to a plate.

While the chicken pieces are browning, combine the pomegranate molasses/syrup/concentrate, the ketchup, the lemon juice, the sugar, salt and a pinch of saffron threads.

In the same oil (the chicken may have released enough fat to fry the onion in, but if not add a tablespoon or so more olive oil if needed), sauté the chopped onion until golden. Return the chicken pieces to the pot with the onion, add the mixed ingredients and the coarsely chopped almonds and add enough of the water to just cover the chicken. Stir, bring just to a boil, lower the heat to low and cover the pot loosely, allowing just a crack to allow steam to escape so the juices can thicken. Allow to simmer for one hour. Check the level of the liquid every now and then. It should be thickening but don’t let all of it evaporate. Add water as needed, if needed. I did not.

About halfway through the cooking time, add the thick peach slices, stirring them into the sauce very gently so as not to break them.

This dish would be delicious even without the addition of peaches. Or replace the peaches with figs, grapes or add pomegranite seeds when serving.

Serve over Iranian or Basmati rice.