Grilled Pomegranate-Glazed Chicken With Tomato Salad

By Melissa Clark

Total Time: 35 minutes
Rating: 5(456)
Notes: Read community notes

Of all the condiments in my overstuffed pantry, pomegranate molasses ranks among the most intense. A staple in countries across the Middle East, it is made from pomegranate juice simmered until nearly as thick and dark as espresso, but with even more punch. Both pickle-sour and syrupy sweet, it’s as pungent as chile paste but with the vivid bristle of tart red fruit instead of capsicum heat. In Middle Eastern cuisines, pomegranate molasses is usually tossed into salads, stirred into stews and sprinkled on vegetables and fish. In my kitchen, I especially adore it as a way to perk up mild meats like chicken. A small drizzle after you’re done grilling the meat can add just the right note of sweet-tart complexity to make everything shine.

Featured in: Hints of Pomegranate to Perk Up Chicken

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

2teaspoons ground cumin
Kosher salt
1teaspoon sweet paprika
½teaspoon ground allspice
Black pepper
Large pinch cayenne
3pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 8)
4tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10thyme branches
7large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
1pint Sungold cherry tomatoes
10fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces if large

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
In a small bowl, combine cumin, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, paprika, allspice, ½ teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Place chicken in a large bowl and toss with spice mixture, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, thyme, and 6 of the chopped garlic cloves. Let rest for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature or as long as overnight in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before grilling.
Step 2
Prepare the grill for indirect heat. For a gas grill, set one side to high. For a charcoal grill, mound coals on one side, leaving the other side empty. Brush off garlic and herbs and put chicken pieces on the unlighted or empty portion of the grill. Close cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate and brush generously with 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses.
Step 3
Mash remaining garlic with a pinch of salt until it forms a paste. Toss the tomatoes with garlic paste, remaining 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses and basil leaves. Season with additional salt, to taste. Serve alongside chicken.

Ratings

5 out of 5

456 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

mheissner6 years ago

Also, after removing chicken from grill, placed breasts directly on a serving dish full of fresh baby spinach. Brushed chicken with the pomegranate molasses and allowed it to rest for 5 minutes on spinach bed before cutting chicken into smaller sections and serving. Spinach wilts a bit with the chicken's heat, and the spinach & juices together is delicious.

Thomas6 years ago

Grams, you can make molasses at home from pomegranate juice. Alton Brown has a recipe that combines 4 cups of pomegranate juice, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 T. fresh lemon juice over medium heat in a saucepan. Once the sugar is dissolved, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 70 minutes). Let cool for 30 minutes before transferring to a glass jar to store in the fridge. It should keep for 6 months.

Thomas Sherman6 years ago

Used the marinade for roasting a whole chicken in the oven, and it worked perfectly. Simply rubbed the spices all over and in the chicken, and brushed the freshly roasted bird with the pomegranate molasses prior to carving. Seriously delicious. I use Mark Bittman's cast-iron skillet roasting method; works every time.

JudiM6 years ago

Delicious! I baked the thighs @400° for 25 min., then brushed them with the molasses and they were perfect. Next time I will remove the skin on my chicken as Step #1. Hubby loves the skin so his can stay. I will also be more generous with the molasses, now that we know what to expect. And I’ll likely cut the tomatoes in half to make them easier to eat. We cleaned our plates. 5 stars.

Alan C Brown6 years ago

Don't know what happened to my original note but maybe it was so early that it was still in Beta mode. However, I will say again that I really like this recipe but whenever I grill chicken parts, I always use the indirect method- chicken in the middle, over a drip pan and a heap of coal on either side. Ten minutes per side is insufficient unless the thighs are microscopic. 15- 20 minutes per side is more like it. the parts are crispy on the outside and perfect on the inside.

Ellen6 years ago

I used the full amount of marinade on boneless skinless chicken thighs--about 1.7 lb. and it was delicious.

mheissner6 years ago

Used boneless chicken breasts. Added marinade ingredients directly into a zip lock bag and then "massaged into" breasts to mix ingredients together and cover chicken evenly.

Sara Cylvia Cynthia Stout6 years ago

I opted for bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, which are fairly hard to come by in our rural area (my spouse is no fan of dark meat). I used the dish, in part, to get more comfortable grilling, as my Rubicon in the past involved under-done chicken. I followed the recipe for the first time, but in the future, I'd cut up the cherry tomatoes before tossing into the dressing, which was intensely good. I paired this with hazelnut roasted carrots, and the blending of flavours was terrific.

chef Pace, milano6 years ago

where can you find pomegranate molasses?

Gail6 years ago

Marinading chicken in plastic bag would be easier. Great recipe. Tomato salad with it is perfect.

tb6 years ago

Replaced cumin and allspice with cardamom/fennel seeds/black mustard seeds (or punch puran if available), mashed garlic instead of chopping. panfried on both sides until browned, added a bit of tangerine juice to deglaze pan. Brushed chicken thighs with pomegranate molasses, sprinkled with oregano/thyme/mint and finished in oven preheated to 350 degrees until done.

Susan6 years ago

Made last night (didn't have allspice). Used skinless, bone in-filleted the meat away from bone for more uniform cooking (left bone in though). So delicious!

BB82 weeks ago

Made this with skinless boneless thighs and baked for 20 minutes at 400 Still great Try barbeque next time

ddjay31782 months ago

Oh this was fantastic, especially since I'm Arabic and I use pomegranate molasses in many dishes. But I cooked it over the grill using the indirect method for the first 10 minutes and it didn't cook at all though. It was a little windy, but the grill heated up to 400° so I'm surprised. Anyway, I then switched to the regular cook over the heat method and cooked it about 4 minutes on each side and use the meat thermometer just for insurance to get to 165°. And don't worry if you go to 175 or 180.

Puddelglum8 months ago

All of the authentic pomegranate molasseses I've tried have tasted like old, stale, watered down fruits. You're best off just buying a bottle of fresh PomWonderful and boiling it down to make your own molasses.

lesliedhelm11 months ago

Does anybody see a problem with adding yoghurt to this marinade? I love how yoghurt makes chicken tender and juicy. But I wonder if it would be harder to slather the pomegranate molasses on afterward or whether the yeast of the molasses would not go with the yoghurt.

karoli1 year ago

This was AMAZING. I took the advice of mheissner and served the chicken on a bed of spinach. I also grilled some large mushrooms and spring onions and had lime rice on the side. I cannot recommend this recipe enough. It's easy and delicious.

Jeanne1 year ago

Seasoned and kept overnight. Needed to cook much longer. With heat under the grates--not the indirect method cited. Used meat thermometer to gauge doneness. Don't forget the molasses before serving. Very tasty and moist. Tomatoes in the sauce were yummy. A;so grilled veggies to go with it.

Taylor d.1 year ago

Really good!!

shoshana1 year ago

Pan seared in cast iron. Rubbed marinade for a half an hour before. Used skin on bone in chicken breasts

Mildred P.1 year ago

Followed the chicken prep/grilling/glaze except we used a spatchcocked whole chicken. Only other change was using chopped heirloom summer tomatoes instead of the Sungold. This is a great recipe (naturally, it's the awesome Melissa Clark!); full of flavor but not at all overbearing. Would definitely make this for guests.

Ng1 year ago

I was really looking forward to this recipe based on the reviews. It was fine but not stellar. The short amount of time with the spice rub leads to flavor on the skin yet very little in the meat itself. The pomegranate syrup adds a nice sweetness yet also makes the crispy skin flabby. Not a horrible recipe, but not one that I would repeat without significant changes.

Janet2 years ago

Excellent and very easy. Used boneless chicken breasts and it turned out great. With regard to the pomegranate molasses, the only recommendation I have is when making the pomegranate molasses, is to make sure it comes to a boil first before you turn the heat down to a low simmer. I followed Alton Brown recipe and the sugar will still melt even if you don't bring it to a boil, but you need to have it boil first to thicken up. At least that is what happened to me the first time I made it.

Condiment queen2 years ago

This was devoured. Make extra next time. Also good with breasts.

Barbara Wheeler3 years ago

The chicken (skin-on, bone-in thighs--standard from the supermarket, cooked over charcoal) was the best we have ever made on a grill. Following notes below, 3.5 pounds of thighs (7 of them) took 30+ minutes over indirect heat. I followed another suggestion and marinated in a ziplock plastic bag. I would not hesitate to serve this chicken to guests. The tomato relish, with some of our avalanche of yellow, red and grape tomatoes, was ok, but the chicken starred.

katy lesser4 years ago

pomegranate molasses is such an awesome ingredient! I gave the chicken a healthy glug (and not just a quick brush) and also served it with roasted delicata squash, which is always great with pomegranate molasses. and the longer you let the chicken to marinate with the spices and herbs, the better.

bob waks4 years ago

Great on babybacks too!

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