Braised pomegranate chicken with walnuts

Doesn't that sound fancy? John is so helpful, he likes to print out complicated recipes from the newspapers, then leave them laying around on the dining room table. Hint, hint.

Well, I had a couple of pomegranates left from the box Marji sent, so I gave this recipe a try last week. Although the ingredient list is long, it's easy to make and would be a nice company meal for the holidays. You'll have to go out and buy unsweetened pomegranate juice. I had some wildly expensive cardamom spice left from cookie baking last Christmas, but it's optional anyway.

Here's what you need:

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 whole chicken cut-up (I used thighs instead)
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cardamom or cinnamon (I used both)
2 tbs flour
2 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs grated lemon zest
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped
Pomegranate seeds for garnish
Sprinkle salt and pepper over the chicken, then brown evenly in the olive oil. Yum! Pan fried chicken thighs-- I could have stopped right there. We all have our weaknesses.
After the chicken browns, remove from the pan and sauté the onions for 7-8 minutes until golden brown. Add the garlic, spices and flour, cook one minute. Stir in the pomegranate juice, sugar, zest, and lemon juice, stirring up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the pan and then spoon some of the onion mixture over the top. Bring just to a boil and simmer until the chicken is fork tender, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a plate, then pour the sauce over it and sprinkle with fresh pomegranate seeds and the chopped walnuts. I made saffron rice, but there was plenty of sauce to put on potatoes, couscous or any kind of noodles.