Weeknight Chicken Saag
- Yield 6 servings
- Prep 15 minutes
- Cook 45 minutes
Weeknight Chicken Saag sits in the Chicken section of Regbie. The card serves 6 servings. The amounts and the method are both written on this page.
Ingredients
Yield: 6 servings
- ¼ cup ghee, or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 serrano chili pepper or jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons garam masala, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground kashmiri chili powder, or cayenne pepper
- ½ cup tomato puree
- 1 pound spinach, finely chopped or 12 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Method
Warm a large Dutch oven over a medium burner and add the ghee when the pan is hot.
Turn in the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. (If you have extra time, cook the onions for 30 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown to develop even more flavor.)
Tip in the green pepper, ginger, and garlic. Leave stirring, until fragrant—about a minute.
Turn the chicken with 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Tip in the chicken to the pot.
Leave stirring frequently, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 to 8 minutes. (If you’re using chicken breast, the cooking time will be closer to 3 to 5 minutes.)
Stir in the coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, turmeric, and ground Kashmiri chili powder. Leave stirring well to distribute all the spices, for about a minute.
Tip in the tomato purée and ½ cup of water and stir to combine.
Increase the heat to bring the sauce to a boil. Then, cover the pot and decrease the heat to maintain a gently bubble. Leave for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender. (Using chicken breasts? The cooking time will be around 5 minutes.)
Whisk the chopped spinach into the pot and mix well. Lid the pot and gently bubble for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the spinach is tender and absorbs all the seasoning.
Stir in the remaining teaspoon of garam masala and add the lemon juice. Check the seasoning and adjust the seasoning as needed. Enjoy!
Turn on the saute mode on the Instant Pot. When the insert is hot, add the ghee.
Turn in the onions and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Tip in the serrano or jalapeno pepper, ginger, and garlic. Leave stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Tip in the salted chicken to the Instant Pot.
Stir in the coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garam masala, turmeric, and ground Kashmiri chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Tip the tomato puree on top of the seasoned chicken and do not stir to combine. (No water is needed in the Instant Pot version.)
Lock the lid and cook under high pressure for 5 minutes. When the Instant Pot is done cooking, release the pressure manually.
Stir in the spinach. Lock the lid and cook under high pressure for 2 minutes. When the Instant Pot is done cooking, release the pressure manually.
Open the Instant Pot and mix in the remaining teaspoon of garam masala and lemon juice. Check the seasoning and adjust seasoning if needed.
Kitchen notes
- Leftover chicken saag can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
- The cook always make extra because it reheats amazingly well!
- If using chicken breasts in place of chicken thighs, make sure you don’t overcook it!
