Pomegranate Chicken

Sticky, tangy, and sweet and just in time for Rosh Hashanah, may I introduce to you my pomegranate chicken using one of my favorite ingredients Pomegranate Molasses also known as Pomegranate syrup. Pomegranate Molasses is a delicious syrup that is both sweet and tangy and made with concentrated pomegranate juice, sugar and often some lemon. It is wonderful in salad dressings, and goes great with meat and poultry and it is the star of the show here. It adds a beautiful and unique tartness that perks up this delicious chicken and is sure to be the star of your Rosh Hashanah table.  It is customary to eat some form of pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah as its abundance of seeds is representative of the Torah's commandments, and on the holiday where we symbolically crown G-d as our king, the beautiful crown shape of the pomegranate is the perfect representation. Enjoy!


1 whole chicken, cut into 8 or 4 chicken bottoms cut in half
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons pomegranate syrup (divided)
2 Tablespoons canola oil
3 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste


Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together reserving the 3 tablespoons of pomegranate syrup. Cover the chicken with the marinade and marinate for 2-3 hours.
Preheat your oven to 350 Remove the chicken from the marinade RESERVING the marinade and place in a baking pan. Cover well and bake for an hour and a half. Meanwhile, pour the reserved marinade into a small pot and add the 3 Tablespoons of syrup. Cook over medium high heat until reduced and stick and syrupy, making sure it does not burn, about 10 minutes. After an hour and a half, uncover the chicken and spread the reduced marinade liberally on each piece of chicken. Return to oven and cook another 20-30 minutes until the chicken is caramelized.