Chicken Saag

This chicken saag is delightfully rich, intensely flavorful, and ultra comforting! Lightly spiced chicken is simmered in a creamy spinach curry until perfectly tender and delicious. Ditch the takeout this week and whip this chicken saag recipe together for a super satisfying restaurant-quality meal!

Prep: 10

Cook: 50

Total: 1

Yield:6 servings

Equipment

Baking dish
standard blender or food processor
Large skillet

Ingredients

For the Chicken

3 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ½ pounds chicken thighs or legs

For the Saag

3 tablespoons ghee
2 12-ounce packages frozen spinach steamed
6 garlic cloves minced
1 ½ tablespoons fresh grated ginger
1 serrano chile minced
1 medium white onion chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala
4 teaspoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2-3 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves see Notes
1 ½ cups half-and-half
½ cup plain full-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
chopped fresh cilantro to serve

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Combine spices and oil or ghee in a bowl. Place chicken pieces in a large baking dish and coat with oil and spice mixture. Bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven. Preheat broiler then broil chicken for 5 minutes, or until browned in places. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a food processor or high-speed blender, process steamed spinach until puréed. Set aside.
Heat 3 tablespoons ghee in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, ginger, garlic, and serrano chiles. Cook slowly, stirring regularly, until the mixture becomes a rich medium brown color. Don't skip this part! Add a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, if the mixture is burning or drying out.
Add the garam masala, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Sprinkle with a little water to moisten. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spices are fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
Add the spinach to the skillet and stir well. Add 1 teaspoon salt, half and half, yogurt, and fenugreek leaves. Stir to combine well, then add the chicken and stir gently. Cook about 5 minutes then taste and add more salt as needed.

Notes

Dried Fenugreek Leaves: Dried fenugreek leaves is what makes this chicken saag just as good, if not better, than what you'd order at a restaurant! However, if you can't find dried fenugreek leaves, you can leave them out.
Make it Paleo: To make this recipe paleo, replace the half-and-half with full-fat coconut milk and use plain full-fat coconut yogurt in place of the regular yogurt.

Recipe yields approximately 6 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving out of 6 using the ingredients listed, not including white rice. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 6. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition

Recipe By:Sam Guarnieri