Chicken Saag

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 75 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

Chicken saag is a classic Indian dish made with chicken, fresh spinach, and an array of spices. Sour cream makes this dish rich and creamy.

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
2 pounds fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped
1/4 cup water
2 large onions, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, minced
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
1 tablespoon water, if needed
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon garam masala
6 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add chicken pieces and cook until browned, about 8 minutes per side. Set chicken aside.
2 Place spinach into a large pot with 1/4 cup of water; bring to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. Allow spinach to steam for about 10 minutes; transfer into a blender and pulse until very finely chopped. Set spinach aside.
3 Place onions, garlic, and ginger into the skillet; fry over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Pour in tomatoes, ground coriander, salt, cayenne pepper, turmeric, cardamom, and cloves; stir in 1 tablespoon water, and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
4 Pour in milk and stir to combine. Add browned chicken pieces; bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in spinach and garam masala; cook until spinach starts to stick to the skillet, about 15 minutes.
5 Stir in sour cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in butter.