Pomegranate Sauce Chicken and Sesame Broccolini Rice Bowls

Perfectly Pomegranate Chicken Bowls

These rice bowls of chicken with pomegranate sauce and sesame broccolini are a perfect weeknight dinner. The sauce is super rich, the fresh pomegranate arils are a nice pop in each bite, and the broccoli is full of sesame flavor. 

This is my perfect weeknight dinner. It comes together in about 30 minutes and has a variety of flavors, textures, and ingredients. You get your grains, proteins, fruits, and vegetables all in one plate! I particularly love the pop of the pomegranate arils in each bite. They add a tart, slightly sweet, flavor to this savory bowl.

Recipe Tips

When you make these chicken bowls with pomegranate sauce and sesame broccolini, here are a few tips to make sure they’re delicious:

• When cooking the chicken make sure your pan is fully pre-heated before adding the met to the pan. Once added, don’t disturb the chicken until it’s finished cooking on one side. At that point, it should easily flip to the other side and not stick. If you do have some stickage, use a flat bottom wooden spoon to scrape any bits off the bottom. That way, you won’t end up with any burnt bits in your dish.
• Sesame oil has a lower smoking point than other oils, so don’t leave it to heat up in the pan too long before adding the broccoli. Otherwise, you run the risk of the oil burning and turning acrid.
• Corn starch is a cooking agent that will create a light coating on the chicken and then thicken the pomegranate sauce that coats the chicken. If the sauce thickens more than you’d prefer, add another couple tablespoons to ¼ cup water. This will create a saucier consistency, which is particularly nice for leftovers!

Recipe Details

Make the Pomegranate Sauce

Let’s get this recipe started!  The first step to this delicious meal is making the pomegranate sauce. The sauce is made by mixing pomegranate juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in a jar. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and a bit of red flakes then give it a shake or stir. Set this aside for a few minutes while you start the chicken.

Cook the Chicken

Toss the chicken in some cornstarch and season with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken on the stove top with a bit of olive oil in a heavy bottom pan. Once the chicken is cooked on one side, flip it to the other sides until the pieces are cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and get a start on finishing up the sauce.

Finish the Pomegranate Sauce and Start the Broccolini

In the same pan that you cooked the chicken in, saute a bit of shallot and garlic with an extra drizzle of olive oil. Pour in the pomegranate juice mixture and let it simmer and reduce slightly. Meanwhile, cook the broccolini in a drizzle of sesame oil until each piece is bright green, cooked through, and slightly charred on a few pieces.

Finish the Rice Bowls and Serve

Slide the chicken back into the pan to coat in the sauce. Once the broccolini is cooked to your liking, toss them with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and set off the heat. Divide rice or couscous among bowls and top with a scoop of the chicken with pomegranate sauce and a serving of sesame broccolini. Top with a tablespoon of pomegranate arils and serve right away

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until warm, optionally leaving the pomegranate arils on the side to keep them cool if you prefer.  This dinner makes for a great meal prep by dividing servings into individual containers and reheating when you’re ready to eat.

I hope you love this rice bowl with chicken and pomegranate sauce with sesame broccolini recipe as much as I do!

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Pomegranate Sauce Chicken and Sesame Broccolini Rice Bowls

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Sautéed Cuisine: Mediterranean Courses: Main Course

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 20 mins Total Time 30 mins

Servings: 4

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Dietary:

D Dairy Free G Gluten Free

Description

A weeknight dinner bowl of sauteed chicken with pomegranate sauce and sesame broccolini. It comes together in about 30 minutes for a delicious meal.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

Pomegranate Sauce

• ¹⁄₄ cup plus 1 tablespoon pomegranate juice
• ¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
• 1 ¹⁄₂ tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Chicken Rice Bowls

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• ¹⁄₂ tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3-4 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cup rice or couscous for serving
• ¹⁄₂ cup pomegranate arils for serving

Sesame Broccolini

• 12 oz broccolini
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

Mix the Pomegranate Sauce

1. In a glass jar or bowl, mix the pomegranate juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, and lemon juice together.

2. Season with a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to your preferred taste. Set aside and begin cooking the chicken.

Start the Chicken and Sauce

1. Toss the cubed chicken with cornstarch, salt, and pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in a large frying or saute pan over medium high heat

3. Cook the chicken for 10 minutes, using a flat bottomed spoon to scrap up any bits stuck to the bottom

4. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

5. Reduce the heat to medium and add an extra drizzle of oil and Add the shallot, cook 3 min, then add the garlic 1 min.

6. Pour in the pomegranate sauce and simmer to reduce to slightly at low heat, about 3 minutes.

Make the Sesame Broccolini

1. Meanwhile, preheat a medium fry pan over medium with sesame oil.

2. Pat dry the broccolini and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Cook for 8-9 minutes until cooked through and bright green, depending on the thickness of your broccolini.

4. Toss in the sesame seeds and set aside still in the pan.

Finish the Chicken and Serve

1. Once the pomegranate sauce has reduced slightly, add the chicken back into the pan to coat in the sauce. Reheat for 3 minutes.

2. Serve the chicken in broccolini with a big serving of rice or couscous and topped with pomegranate arils on top. Enjoy!