Saag Chicken Curry

How many spinach lovers out here? Despite Popeye entertaining us with his antics, not many of us actually developed a liking to the taste of spinach. In my case, it was only later into adulthood that I really began enjoying spinach, and oh what a beautiful revelation it was. Spinach is a highly nutritious leafy green as it improves eye health, prevents heart disease, cancer and reduces oxidative stress. A cup of spinach provides us with supplemental amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, zinc and a wide array of vitamins. Cooking spinach does minutely reduce its nutritional benefits, but spinach, even with reduced goodness is still pretty high on the nutrition scale, that's how good this leafy green is!

In South Indian cuisine spinach is often used along with grated coconut as a dry sabzi. Whereas, in north Indian cuisine it is interestingly used in the form of a smooth puree usually added to a protein. This is one such recipe where the chicken and spinach showcase the best of both worlds (proteins and greens) and it is one of easiest ways to get the little ones to enjoy these leafy flavors at a young age.

Saag Chicken Curry

Servings: Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

◻ 500g chicken (with bones/boneless as per your preference)

Marinade for chicken:

◻ 1 tsp ginger garlic paste

◻ 1 tsp pepper powder

◻ Salt to taste

◻ 1 tbsp lemon juice

Curry paste:

◻ 2 handfuls/500g spinach leaves

◻ 2 green chilli

◻ 2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp oil

◻ 1 tsp cumin seeds

◻ 1 onion chopped roughly

◻ 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

◻ 1 tbsp chilli powder

◻ 1 tsp cumin powder

◻ 1 tsp coriander powder

◻ ½ tsp turmeric powder

◻ 1 tomato chopped roughly

◻ 2 tbsp yogurt

◻ 1 tsp methi leaves

◻ 1 tsp garam masala

◻ 1 tbsp cream (optional, for garnishing)

Preparation:

1. Cut the chicken into 2" pieces and marinate with 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Set aside until needed.

2. Wash the spinach leaves well, then sauté it in a pan without any oil until the leaves blanch. This might take 2 to 3 minutes (Sautéing the spinach is a good technique to retain its nutritional benefits).

3. Keep it aside along with the green chillis to make a puree at a later time.

4. Add 2 tbsp oil to the same pan, wait until its warm, add the cumin seeds and sauté for a minute until aromatic, now add the onions and allow it to cook until browned (8-10 minutes). Add the remaining ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell disappears.

5. Add the masalas to the onion paste, chilli powder, turmeric, cumin and coriander. Fry it for a minute, then add the chopped tomato and cook until it becomes mushy in consistency.

6. Allow the mixture to cool and grind it to a smooth paste. This is the first puree in which the chicken will be cooked.

7. Add 1 tbsp oil to the same pan and once hot, add the chicken to it, frying the pieces for 5-10 minutes until it looses the fleshy undertone, now add the masala paste to it and stir in 2 tbsp of whisked yogurt. Close the lid and cook the curry for another 10-15 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, make the second puree out of spinach and green chillis, add this to the curry. Close the lid and cook for 5 more minutes until the oil separates from the side of the gravy (pureeing and adding the spinach at the end prevents overcooking and gives the curry its rich green color).

9. Check the salt and adjust according to taste. Add the garam masala and methi leaves as the final touch to the curry. The fresh cream can be added to the gravy or added as a garnish at the time of serving.

P.S. The Saag chicken curry tastes perfect with rotis, naan or jeera rice. I prefer to sauté the spinach leaves rather than blanching it as the fresh green color remains and makes the puree appear more visually appealing while also retaining its supplements. You can also blend the curry masala and spinach together into one single puree as that would be less time consuming, the only advantage of doing it in two separate steps is that the spinach doesn't get overcooked. Adding some grated nutmeg as garnish accentuates the unique flavors of the dish.

Flavors with spice and all things nice ❤

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