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For Chicken

32 oz pomegranate juice (not from concentrate)
2-pounds chicken thighs
2 cinnamon sticks

Trim excess fat off of thighs and put in a large ziplock bag (or use seitan). Pour in pomegranate juice to cover and add to cinnamon sticks. Close bag and store in fridge overnight, turning bag once or twice during marinating time. Place contents of bag (including marinade) into a baking pan and cover. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

For Seitan Alternative

Two packages seitan
2 cups flour
1/2 cup corn meal
herbs and spices (whatever you like!)
salt and pepper

Cut the seitan into thin slices and pat dry. Mix together flour, cornmeal, herbs, and salt/pepper in a bowl. Dredge the seitan in the flour mixture and pan fry with a little oil, flipping them until they are golden and crispy on both sides.

For Sauce

2 onions, cut into small dice
2 cups toasted pistachios ground into fine powder + 1/2 cup whole pistachios for garnish
2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste
4 cups pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/4-12 cup of roughly chopped mint.

Sauté onions in olive oil until they become slightly caramelized. Add the toasted ground pistachios and let them cook with the onions until they became fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate.

Pour in the pomegranate juice and honey – and let it simmer a bit to thicken. (If the sauce is thin adding some additional tomato paste or more ground pistachios is a good option for thickening. If the sauce gets to thick you can add some water or stock).

To Combine

Pour sauce over chicken or seitan. If using chicken put it back into the oven – uncovered – to brown for 10 minutes or so. Put chicken or seitan on platter and garnish with whole pistachios, mint, and – if desired – pomegranate seeds.