Grilled Chicken Mohammara

POM Molasses:

Prepare fresh pomegranate juice, if necessary.* Combine the pomegranate juice, sugar and lime juice in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the liquid has reduced to 1 cup, about an hour. It should be dark in color, and the consistency of thick syrup that coats the spoon. Set aside to cool. Store pomegranate molasses in refrigerator in a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Chicken Marinade:

Combine the bell pepper, 2 tablespoons POM Molasses, paprika, bay leaf, garlic and lemon zest in a food processor; puree into a paste. Coat the chicken pieces with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight for best results).

Mohammara Sauce:

Prepare fresh pomegranate arils, if necessary.** Reserve 1/3 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.) Place the bell peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush peppers all over with olive oil and roast in the oven under the broiler for about 10 minutes, turning frequently to prevent burning, until the skins are blistered and blackened on all sides. Remove peppers from the oven and lay a clean kitchen towel over them until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. This will make the skins easier to remove. Peel off the skins, and then remove the stems and seeds, and slice into strips. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, and cook the garlic and shallots, stirring often, until light golden, about 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add half of the walnuts, all of the cardamom, long pepper, cinnamon, 1/3 cup POM Molasses and vinegar. Stir until well combined and cook for another 15 minutes. Add the roasted peppers and cook for 5 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and set aside to cool. Transfer mixture to a food processor and blend until well combined.

Grilling Instructions:

Remove chicken from marinade and slide pieces onto 4 long metal skewers. Discard remaining marinade. Grill chicken pieces over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 8 minutes on each side. Set aside to rest slightly. To serve, spoon some Mohammara sauce onto each plate, and carefully slide chicken pieces off skewer onto the plate, keeping the pieces together in a row. Garnish with fresh pomegranate arils, the remaining toasted walnuts and parsley. Serve this pomegranate recipe.

*For 1 cup of juice, cut 2–3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.

**To prepare fresh arils, score 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl.