Pomegranate Chicken - Sticky Sweet Anachronism

Pomegranate is a popular ingredient in medieval cooking. I have seen multiple sources for it used in sauces mainly - particularly served with fowl or pork. I personally had never used it in cooking, but came across pomegranate syrup and a lot of chicken (I'll explain) - so there really was only one option.

I was given the task to cook a small lunch for staff at the East Kingdom's Equestrian Tourney this year. With a lunch attendance projected at 20-30 people this was not a difficult meal to plan. It was expected to be hot so hydration and protein were important.

Chicken always goes over well, and it's relatively cheap so it was the primary protein I went with. I had also obtained a bottle of Pomegranate Syrup with the most basic of ingredients (sugar, water, pomegranate juice). I knew it'd be too sweet on it's own, but with a little doctoring it could be quite delicious.

Instead of finding a period recipe, I decided to just go with flavors and items that were (fairly) common. I chose to pair the syrup with murri (soy sauce), garlic, parsley, and rosemary. Albeit rosemary isn't too wildly documented to be used in food - it was used in wedding ceremonies during the middle ages. I'd like to think a curious cook might've given a taste one day and thought it a good idea to add to a dish.

The chicken before it was put in the fridge overnight.

I took chicken wings, and first baked them in a baking tray for about 45 minutes at 350 to let them cook through. While they did, I combined the components of the sauce. I did this by taste, until the pomegranate didn't feel like I'd get a toothache from eating the chicken.

I would gradually add the other ingredients a tablespoon at a time until I felt it was more palatable as a whole. It took a lot of adding tiny amounts of secondary ingredients until it was just right. Once that happened, I let the sauce sit until the chicken was done cooking.

Once the chicken was done, I let it cool for about 15 minutes, and then placed it in an aluminum baking tray (this makes for very easy reheating and clean up on event day). I then poured my sauce mixture over the chicken and let it sit overnight in the fridge.

Getting these ready during event day was simple. I merely had to put them on the camp stove burner and let them heat up. I kept them at low heat for a couple hours. This keeps them tender and again - easy peasy.

The full spread with the chicken front and center.

When they were done, they got plated and put in the "dining hall". It was a small lunch but enough to sustain the staff at the event. The menu in it's entirety was as follows:

Pomegranate Chicken
Garlic Mushrooms
Pickled Carrots
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Assorted Flavored Butters
Sliced Apples
Bread
Cheese



If you're interested in the recipe - Please see below and thank you for stopping by!


Lady Elvira's Pomegranate Chicken

12 lbs of Frozen Chicken Wings

Sauce:

750 ml of Pomegranate Syrup
4 Sprigs of Rosemary
4 Tablespoons of Minced Garlic
2 cups of Parsley
1/2 c of Soy Sauce

Bake the chicken in the oven as directed on the package.

While the chicken is cooking, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Once the chicken is cooked, let it cool for 10-15 minutes.

Place your chicken in a container of your choice (I used an aluminum pan) and add the sauce.

Let it refrigerate overnight.

Cook on low heat for a few hours, moving chicken regularly to get even flavor distribution.

Once the chicken looks caramelized, it's ready to plate.

Eat and Enjoy!