Turkish chicken marinated and glazed with pomegranate molasses, garlic, and pepper, grilled until lacquered and dark
Origin: Southern and south-eastern Turkey
From the journey of Pomegranate.
Nar ekşili tavuk, chicken with pomegranate sour, is the everyday hot expression of the Turkish south-east's love of nar ekşisi, the pomegranate molasses that sours and rounds so much of the region's cooking. The molasses is whisked with olive oil, crushed garlic, pul biber (Aleppo pepper), and tomato or pepper paste into a dark marinade, the chicken is steeped in it, and then it is grilled, griddled, or roasted, the sugars in the molasses caramelising into a glossy, lacquered, mahogany glaze, the sourness of the fruit cutting through the richness of the meat and the char of the grill. It is mangal food, the cooking of the Turkish charcoal grill, as at home over coals in a Gaziantep garden as under a domestic grill, and it shows the molasses in its other great role: not as the souring agent stirred into a salad or a stew, but as a glaze brushed onto meat, where its fruit-sugar and acid do for chicken what they do nowhere better. Finished with a scatter of fresh pomegranate seeds and served with bread, rice, or a sharp salad such as gavurdağı, it is a simple dish that carries the whole sweet-sour, pepper-and-pomegranate character of the southern Turkish kitchen.
The same marinade works beautifully on chicken wings, lamb chops, or a whole spatchcocked chicken. For an extra-glossy finish, brush a little warmed pomegranate molasses over the cooked chicken just before serving. The dish is forgiving: the acidity of the molasses keeps the meat moist even if slightly overcooked. Serve with the Turkish gavurdağı or ezme salad to echo the pomegranate theme.
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