Packed with aromatic spices, bold flavors this curry beautifully interplays between healthful spinach and drool worthy chicken curry. A hallmark of homestyle Indian cuisine! Its known by different names, but means exactly one thing-Spinach/ Greens with Chicken. You may of heard it being called palak chicken or saag chicken, saag murgh, murgh saagwala, hariyali murgh and so on, but whatever its called its a delicious curry with bold aromatic flavors, loads of spinach and tender pieces of chicken all coming together beautifully in under a hour.
The ingredients are easily available everywhere and with a little effort chopping and preppeing you’ll have this meal on the table in no time.
Ingredient Highlights
- Ghee or avocado oil or neutral tasting oil works well here.
- Skinless and boneless chicken thighs:Â I prefer chicken thighs in this dish because dark meat taste better and reheats without drying out the meat. Chicken breast if you have to, but remember the breast pieces tend to be dry.
- Aromatics:Â Onion, garlic, and fresh ginger, the trifecta for any tasty Indian curry.
- Chili pepper: Green chillies like Thai, Serrano, jalapeño all work here but come with different heat intensity. Use what you find easily and can tolerate. Use as much as you can handle starting with 1 for mild-medium. If you don’t want heat, leave it out. Alternatively hot red chili powder works perfectly.
- Baby spinach leaves: Chop the spinach by hand or in a food processor. You can also substitute fresh for a bag of frozen spinach—simply thaw and squeeze out the liquid first. Alternatively use a combination of spinach chopped kale, collard greens, or chard.
- Tomatoes adds body and some acidic component to balance the flavor. I like fresh tomatoes, plain canned purée works fine. Make sure its not flavored like basil or roast garlic etc.
- Spices:Â we are using traditional spices in the form of grounds and seeds; coriander powder, ground turmeric, nutmeg a little garam masala and cumin seeds.
- Kashmiri chili:Â ground Kashmiri chili is mild and adds a rich red hue, you can substitute it with mild paprika.
- Fresh lemon juice:Â Adds freshness and a zing towards the end to brighten the dish.
- Dried Fenugreek leaves As always a teaspoon of crushed dried fenugreek leaves elevates any Indian dish specially leafy greens, and gives that flavor you normally associate with restaurant recipes.
This chicken curry is delicious even without the spinach. The spinach elevates this dish, and makes it so nutritious
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Saag Murg
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs fat trimmed and diced into cubes
- 1 lb baby spinach leaves, chopped fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp ghee or any neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped finely
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1-2 hot green chillies, chopped deseeded if needed optional, skip if you want the curry mild
- 1 heaped tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- ¾ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- ½-1 tsp hot chili powder or mild paprika use to your heat tolerance
- 2-3 medium fresh plum tomatoes or ½ cup tomato puree plain
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves lightly crushed
- 1 tsp sea salt more if needed
- lemon juice as needed to balance the flavor
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the ghee or oil. Add the cumin seeds and allow to sizzle for a few seconds. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown for a deeper color and flavor.
- Add the green chillies if using along with minced garlic and ginger. Saute, until fragrant—about a minute.
- Add the ground spices-coriander, nutmeg, turmeric and ½ the Garam Masala.. Cook, stirring frequently for a minute. Next add the tomatoes, stir and bring it up to a light boil.
- Add the chicken, turn up the heat, stir and cook until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Add about ¼-½ cup of water and stir to combine. Bring it back up to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes so the chicken is fully cooked.
- Stir in the chopped spinach into the pot and mix well. Cover the pot and simmer for about 4-5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted and mixed well with the chicken curry. Stir in the remaining garam masala , crushed fenugreek leaves and add the lemon juice. Heat through, taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Enjoy with any flatbread like chapati, naan, pita or basmati rice.
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Great to add good amount of greens to a meal and without coconut milk.
Hi Sara, thank you, hope you give the recipe a try.