Persian Chicken with Pomegranate and Walnut - Fesenjan

Adapted from The Paleo Slow Cooker - Healthy Gluten-Free Meals the easy Way by Arsy Vartanian. Page Street Publishing Company, 2013.

This is a special Persian dish, high in omega 6's thanks to the walnuts and very high in protein with the combination of chicken and nuts.  On the recommendation of a Persian friend, we used pomegranate molasses (from a Persian grocery store) instead of pomegranate juice, and was delicious meal.  He also prefers the dish made with beef or dark-meat chicken rather than chicken breasts.  As with many dishes in sauce, it was infinitely better 2 and 3 days later.

Ingredients:
3.5 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs, breasts and legs
1 tsp sea salt
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups water
4 cups walnuts, coarsely ground, some of it more finely ground to thicken the sauce
1.5 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground saffron
Salt and pepper just before serving
Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Directions:
There were directions for browning the chicken, sautéing the onion and spices and forming a paste with the walnuts, but I always disregard those instructions for slow-cooker recipes.

Here's my way of doing it:
1) Put all ingredients in the slow cooker.
2) Cook on low for 4 hours.  Remove chicken, debone, shred with 2 forks and place back in slow cooker on high with lid removed.  Cook for 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.
3) Salt and pepper to taste, then serve - but it's much better if you wait a few days.