Pomegranate Roasted Chicken

It’s just three weeks to Christmas! The gorgeous red and green colours on this Pomegranate Chicken dish make me feel all Christmas-y. I really love how pretty pomegranate seeds are - they remind me of rubies sparkling in the sun. I would probably make this again for Christmas dinner as this gorgeous chicken dish serves well as a centrepiece for Christmas celebrations. 

I’ve only recently discovered how delicious pomegranates are. I love its beautiful colour and crunchy texture. It is also one of those fruits that are loaded with vitamins. The only thing that is a little trickier is to extract the pomegranate seeds without the juice splattering all over. I found this informative post on how to do this as well as extract the juice.

To extract the pomegranate seeds: slice the pomegranates into about six sections and soak them in a large bowl of water. Use your fingers to gently pull the seeds away from the skin and the white pith. Remove the skin and pith. Drain away the water.

To get fresh pomegranate juice, pulse the seeds in the blender a few times, then sieve it to remove the pulp. Press the pulp against the sieve to extract any remaining juice.

I expected the pomegranate juice to be slightly sour, and I thought I would need to add some honey to it before glazing the chicken. The juice turned out sweet naturally, so I did not use any honey. The glaze made out of the reduced pomegranate juice gave the chicken a lovely sweet covering which made it so delicious. When served with the crunchy pomegranate seeds and fresh rosemary, it was simply delicious.

Pomegranate Roasted Chicken (4 servings)
From Martha Stewart’s Whole Living

Ingredients

• 1 cup pomegranate juice* (I juiced the seeds of 3 pomegranates)
• 3-pound whole chicken
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (I used fresh rosemary)
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds* (I used the seeds of one pomegranate)

*To extract pomegranate seeds and juice, refer to this post.

Method

1. Heat pomegranate juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. (I added in some rosemary while heating the juice to bring out the rosemary flavours) Set aside. Meanwhile, let the chicken come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees F (I baked at 200 degrees C).
2. Brush chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper (I marinated  a few hours ahead). Tie legs and transfer to a large ovenproof skillet.
3. Roast chicken, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 50 minutes (I baked mine for about 1 hour 20 minutes. At the 1 hour and 1 hour 10 min mark, I brushed the chicken with the reduced pomegranate juice).
4. Transfer to a serving dish and brush with reduced pomegranate juice; let stand 10 minutes. De-glaze skillet over medium heat with stock, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until reduced by half. Strain fat. Add thyme and pomegranate seeds. Serve with chicken.