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Palak Chicken Featured Image.

Palak Chicken (Chicken Spinach Curry)

Tanvi Srivastava
Authentic north indian, one pot palak chicken curry with seared, boneless chicken morsels in a luscious aromatic, spiced spinach gravy.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 5
Calories 476 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lb (~750g) chicken thighs boneless & skinless, cut into 2 inch cubes

For The Spice Rub

  • 4-5 whole kashmiri red chilies adjust to taste
  • 1.5 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 12-15 black peppercorns
  • 4  cloves
  • ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (hot), use cayenne powder instead
  • ¼ turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For The Spinach Sauce

  • 4 tablespoon mustard oil or any cooking oil you use at home
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • ¼ inch ginger julinned
  • ¾ cup tomato puree simply boil 3 medium tomatoes and puree them, or use ½ cup canned tomato sauce
  • 12-14 oz (~10 cup) fresh spinach read notes on how to use frozen spinach
  • ¼- ⅓ cup hot water ,depending on desired consistency of sauce
  • 2 pinch nutmeg freshly grated
  • ½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • 1 teaspoon kasoori methi crushed, skip if not available
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 tablespoon heavy cream optional

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • Pat the chicken completely dry. Add to a large bowl and set aside. In a small pan, dry roast the spices listed under the spice rub. Transfer to a coffee grinder and coarsely grind. 
  • Sprinkle ground spices, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Rub so that all the pieces are covered in the spices. Cover the bowl and let stand. You could also set in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours or 2-3 days to marinate.
  • Make The Spinach Puree - Add spinach stems & leaves (remove the fibrous looking stems) to a pot of boiling water. Once the leaves are wilted and stems are soft, transfer to a blender using tongs. Process to make a spinach puree. 
  • Other Prep - Chop the onions, blanch the tomatoes, julienne ginger, mince the garlic etc. 

Make The Spinach Gravy

  • In a wide pot with a heavy bottom, heat up mustard oil.
  • Temper the oil with whole spices - cinnamon, black cardamom & bay leaf.
  •  Add the chopped onions and cook until they reach a light brown to golden brown stage. Avoid browning them too much, as it may interfere with the taste of spinach. 
  • Add the ginger and garlic to the pot and fry for about 45 seconds. 
  • Now, add the chicken to the pot. Keep the flame on medium and stir to mix the chicken with the onion and garlic. Once mixed, allow the chicken to sear for 2-3 minutes. Adjust the searing time based on the size of the chicken pieces. While searing, avoid stirring too much to prevent the chicken from releasing its water instead of browning. Sear the chicken on all sides. 
  • Add the tomato puree. Since the tomato puree is already cooked, it doesn't require extensive cooking. Fry it with the chicken for approximately 2 minutes.
    Note - If you are using bone in chicken, after searing, cover the pot and let the chicken cook to about 80 % doneness before adding the spinach puree. 

Bhunai

  • Add the spinach puree next. This is the moment to enhance the flavors. We will fry the chicken and spinach together, a technique known as bhunai, for the next 8-10 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Bhunai develops smokiness in the spinach gravy, resulting in an aromatic and robust taste.
    While frying, stir occasionally to ensure even cooking until the chicken is done. You'll notice that the spinach sauce will deepen in color and start glistening.Take care to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot. If needed, add a splash of water as required to maintain a saucy consistency (but avoid making it watery). 
  • Finish the palak chicken curry with garam masala, nutmeg, crushed kasoori methi and 1-2 tablespoon of heavy cream. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

To Make Restaurant Style Palak Chicken 
    • Add 1 tablespoon of ghee when you add spinach puree (step 9) at the end of cooking for extra richness. 
    • Add ¼ to ⅓ cup heavy cream to finish the curry.
    • You could also add 1 -2 tablespoon of ground cashew paste to the spinach sauce.
Simplify for Weeknights 
Skip making the spice rub from scratch as mentioned in step 1 and simply add ready to use powdered spices - coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, cardamom powder, ground cloves, kashmiri chilli powder, red chilli powder & turmeric powder along with salt.
Secondly, use chopped spinach instead of spinach puree(step2) to save time.
Variations You Can Try
    • Use Chopped Spinach - If you are on a time crunch or want extra texture in the sauce, instead of spinach puree, add chopped spinach and fry with the chicken. In this case, the color of the sauce wont be green. I personally like using handfuls of baby spinach or frozen spinach for this method. 
    • Use Nut Paste (Dairy Free Version) - If you don't want to add heavy cream but still want a richness in the sauce, add a tablespoon or two of cashew or almond paste to the sauce. This will make the sauce dairy free too. 
    • Use a Mix of Greens - You could use a combination of different kinds of greens (saag)- kale or spinach work great and methi (fenugreek) & spinach work beautifully too. Make sure that the total quantity of greens matches the spinach quantity mentioned in recipe card.
Recipe Tips 
    • Marinate the Chicken- You could skip marinating if you are in a hurry, however a few hours of marination do contribute immensely to the taste of the dish. 
    • You can use bone in chicken for this recipe. Use dark meat portions and make incisions in the flesh with a sharp knife before using it.
    • When you puree the spinach, do not make a smooth paste out of it. Use as less water as possible when grinding spinach.
    • If you like a bit of smoky flavor then you can grill the chicken but I prefer searing it in the cooking pot itself.
    • Consistency of spinach gravy- The ideal consistency of the spinach sauce is on a velvety thick side. Don't make it too runny.
    • Spice Level- I personally dont add a lot of heat while making spinach sauces because then the heat overpowers the mellow taste of spinach. You could add a few chopped green chilies if you wish. 
    • For Meal Prep - Read the section in the blog post above.
Can I use chicken breast to make palak chicken?
Absolutely you could. You will need to keep a close eye on the cooking time since chicken breast tends to dry out pretty quickly.
How do I make a green looking palak chicken?
Cook the chicken fully - about 90 to 95 percent doneness before introducing the spinach puree. Thin with a little water and then simmer together without covering for 5-6 minutes on low medium heat. Tastewise, this prepeation has mellow flavors than when you "bhuno" the spinach.

Nutrition

Calories: 476kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 26gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 643mgPotassium: 935mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 6844IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!