Chicken saag (chicken and spinach curry)
55 min · 41 g protein · 331 cals / serving
Yogurt-marinated chicken (thigh and breast) simmered in a thick, vivid green sauce of slow-cooked onion, garlic, ginger, warm garam masala and a whole mountain of spinach. Rich-tasting, gently spiced and just creamy enough, with a squeeze of lemon at the end.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2/3 lb chicken thigh, bite-size pieces
- 2/3 lb chicken breast, bite-size pieces
- 2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp salt
Sauce
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 very large onion, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1–2 green chili pepper, finely chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 can (7 oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 1/3 lb spinach, fresh, washed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Steps
- Stir the chicken with the yogurt, garam masala, turmeric and salt. Leave 20 minutes at room temperature or up to a day in the fridge.
- Heat the oil in a large, deep pan over medium heat. Cook the onion 12 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden.
- Add the garlic, ginger and chili for 1 minute, then the cumin, coriander and garam masala for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, mashing, until thick and jammy.
- Pile in the spinach a few handfuls at a time with the salt, turning it until it wilts. When it has all collapsed, blend about half of the pan roughly with a stick blender (or chop it on a board) so the sauce turns thick and green but keeps some texture.
- Add the chicken with all its marinade and the water. Keep it at a bare simmer, partly covered, for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken is tender and 165°F inside.
- Stir in the lemon juice and taste for salt and heat before serving.
Good to know
Will the yogurt split?
Strained Greek yogurt that has coated the chicken holds together well. Keep the curry at a bare simmer, never a boil, and it stays smooth.
Frozen spinach?
Use 1 lb of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed lightly. It is softer and less vivid than fresh, but it saves a lot of washing.
What goes with it?
Basmati rice or a warm roti, plus a cucumber and onion salad for crunch. All thigh works too and stays juicier, at about 75 instead of 79.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 78
- Protein
- (52%)
- 10 g
- Fat
- (32%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (17%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 196 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1325 kcal goes into the pot and 1989 g of ingredients comes out as about 1700 g of food: 78 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.