Chicken Spinach Curry – Murg Saagwala

Chicken Spinach Curry – Murg Saagwala, a popular North Indian Cuisine. The meat is cooked and simmered in a silky smooth, healthy and nutritious mildly flavoured spinach sauce. Perfection!

“Food is an important part of a Balanced Diet”

~ Fran Lebowitz

Chicken Spinach curry also widely known as Murg Saagwala or Palak Chicken… I know too many names. Let me tell you what it means Murg is a hindi term refers to chicken and Saag or Palak is a hindi term refers to Spinach. 

Murg Saagwala is a popular Punjabi Cuisine and it has definitely managed to find its way around the globe, showing up on menus. Every restaurant had its own version of preparing Murgh Saagwala or Palak Chicken dish, but I am not quite satisfied with the restaurant style Palak Chicken, as it is not quite to my taste and it always lacked that oomph!! So I took the plunge and after trying quite a few recipes, I have had my fair share of success and failures. Finally I perfected my Murg Saagwala. It has the perfect balance of sweet and tang and the spinach blends exceptionally well with the garam masala spices. Delicious!  😀

I personally love this chicken preparation as it is very comforting and is a perfectly balanced and nutritious meal. Its has proteins and proper amount of greens. A single serving of this delicious Chicken Spinach Curry will probably give you more greens than anyone would have in a whole week. 

Chicken Spinach Curry – Murg Saagwala is extremely easy to make. The main part is to prepare the Spinach Puree. Heat water in a pan and blanch the washed Spinach for 2-3 minutes. then drain the water and immediately run it under cold water for few minutes. Doing this helps retain the green colour of the spinach. 

Simply add the spinach leaves along with green chillies, ginger and garlic and some chopped fresh coriander leaves. I like a add a little bit of coriander in it to enhance, not to overpower the flavour of the Spinach. Just blend all these ingredients into a fine silky smooth green paste. 

Treat your family to this delicious and nutritious Chicken Spinach Curry – Murg Saagwala and serve it with this Cumin flavoured Rice.

Chicken Spinach Curry - Murg Saagwala

2015-07-13 09:23:22

Murg saagwala is a mild and delicious curry. The chicken is cooked to perfection in a delicate and mildly spiced spinach curry.

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Ingredients

1. 1 kg Chicken, skinned and cut into medium pieces ( I used 8 chicken drumsticks around a kg)

For Spinach Puree

1. 300 grams of Spinach leaves, washed
2. 1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped
3. 2-3 green chillies
4. 1 inch ginger, chopped
5. 1 cloves of garlic, chopped
6. 1/2 tsp salt
7. 4-5 cups Water

For the Spinach curry

1. 2 medium onions, chopped
2. 2 tomatoes, chopped
3. 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
5. 1 tsp chilli powder
6. 1 tsp cumin powder
7. 1 tsp cumin seeds
8. 2 bay leaves
9. 1 inch cinnamon
10. 4-5 cloves
11. 3-4 cardamoms
12. 10-12 peppercorns
13. 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
14. salt as per taste
15. 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
16. 2 tbsp Oil or ghee (I used one tbsp each)

To prepare the Spinach (palak) Puree

1. Boil 4 cups water in a pan and add 1/2 tsp salt to the hot water. Then add the spinach (palak) leaves in the hot water and close with a lid and let the leaves sit in the water for 2-3 mins then strain the leaves.
2. Run the spinach leaves under cold water for a minute immediately. Doing this helps in preserving the green colour of the spinach.
3. Drain the water completely. Now add the spinach along with 1/2 cup of coriander, chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies in a blender and blend it into a smooth puree, no need to add water. Keep the spinach puree aside.

To prepare the Spinach Chicken Curry (Palak Chicken or Murg Saagwala)

1. Heat oil or ghee in a thick bottom pan, then add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and peppercorns and fry for few seconds until you get the beautiful aroma of the spices.
2. Now add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
3. Toss in the chopped onions and sauté till onion turns golden brown.
4. Add the chopped garlic and fry till the raw smell of garlic disappears.
5. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder and salt and fry for few seconds. Now add the tomatoes and mix everything well.
6. Add in the chicken pieces and fry it with the onion and tomato mixture.
7. Sauté it until the chicken is around 70% done.
8. Now add in the prepared palak puree and mix everything well. Add 1/2 cup of water if required and simmer it for 10-12 minutes or more till the spinach is cooked. Check the seasoning and add salt if required. The curry will thicken by now.
9. Add garam masala powder and cook for another 2 mins.
10. If you find the the curry too thin then crank up the heat and dry up all the extra liquid.
11. Switch off the flame.
12. Garnish the Chicken Spinach Curry with some low fat cream and serve it hot rotis, naan or jeera rice. You can also drizzle a few drops of lemon juice on top.
13. Bon Appetite!

Gastronomic BONG https://thegastronomicbong.com/

I hope you like the this Chicken Spinach Curry – Murg Saagwala as much as I do. 🙂

Bon Appetite!

Love Arpita

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