Indian & South Asian · Lunch · Dinner
Saag Chicken
साग चिकन (Saag Chicken)
Tender pieces of chicken simmered in a vivid, gently spiced spinach sauce with ginger, garlic and tomato. A lighter take on the restaurant favourite, with lean chicken, little oil and a spoonful of yogurt instead of cream.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 21% · Fat 26% · Protein 53%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 600 g (about 3 small breasts)Skinless chicken breast, cut into 3 cm pieces
- 500 g (about 15 loosely packed cups)Fresh spinach, washed
- 1 large150 gOnion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves12 gGarlic, minced
- 1 thumb-sized piece (about 1 tbsp grated)15 gFresh ginger, grated
- 15 gGreen chilli, finely chopped
- 2 medium240 gTomatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsp14 gRapeseed (canola) oil
- 1 tspCumin seeds
- 2 tspGround coriander
- 1/2 tspGround turmeric
- 1/2 tspKashmiri or mild chilli powder
- 1 tspGaram masala
- 1 tsp6 gSalt
- 1/2 cup120 gPlain low-fat yogurt
- 3/4 cup (1/4 cup for spinach, 1/2 cup for sauce)180 gWater
- 1 tbsp15 gLemon juice
Steps
- 1
Put the spinach and 1/4 cup of the water in a large pot, cover and cook over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until just wilted.
- 2
Blend the wilted spinach with its cooking liquid to a coarse purée and set aside.
- 3
Heat the oil in a large deep pan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds; let them sizzle for 20–30 seconds.
- 4
Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for about 8 minutes until soft and golden.
- 5
Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chilli and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 6
Add the ground coriander, turmeric and chilli powder and stir for 30 seconds.
- 7
Add the tomatoes and salt and cook for about 5 minutes until they break down into a thick paste.
- 8
Add the chicken and stir for about 5 minutes until the pieces turn white on all sides.
- 9
Pour in the spinach purée and the remaining 1/2 cup water, bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 10
Check the chicken is cooked through: the thickest piece should reach 74 °C / 165 °F with no pink inside.
- 11
Take the pan off the heat and wait 1 minute, then stir in the yogurt a spoonful at a time so it does not split.
- 12
Stir in the garam masala and lemon juice, taste and adjust the salt, and serve.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a dairy-free version, use an unsweetened plain coconut or soy yogurt in place of the low-fat yogurt.
- Swap the chicken breast for boneless skinless chicken thighs for juicier meat, simmering until they reach 74 °C / 165 °F.
- Use 500 g frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed, instead of fresh to save on shopping and washing.
- For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with cubed paneer or drained chickpeas, adding them with the spinach purée and simmering just until heated through.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating gently until steaming hot all the way through. You can freeze it for up to 3 months, though the yogurt may look slightly grainy after thawing.
Make ahead
Wilt and blend the spinach up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, and chop the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli the day before. The whole curry can also be made a day ahead and reheated until steaming hot.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Milk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (467 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 302 kcal | 65 kcal |
| Protein | 40.5 g | 8.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16.1 g | 3.4 g |
| of which sugars | 6.2 g | 1.3 g |
| Fiber | 5 g | 1.1 g |
| Fat | 9 g | 1.9 g |
| of which saturated | 1.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Sodium | 778 mg | 167 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
