Here's a one-pot pressure cooker recipe for an Indian favorite, Chicken Saag, also known as Palak Chicken. This creamy and flavorful chicken and spinach curry is tasty, healthy and a breeze to make with this 30-minute recipe.
30-Minute 'Healthy' Family Favorite!
One of my daughters doesn't care for spinach. Ok, let's be honest, she hates spinach, unless it's spiced up, like my Palak Paneer recipe.
On our recent visit to an Indian restaurant I ordered Chicken Saag, and she loved it so much that I just had to try making it at home. I modified my Palak Paneer recipe and came up with this easy, 30-minute one-pot recipe.
The best part about this dish is that you take care of greens and protein, all in the same pot. So all that's left to do is pair it with some rice or naan and dinner is done, just like that!. This dish has now become a staple in our home.
Whats the difference between Saag and Palak
These two terms, Saag and Palak, are often used interchangeably in Indian restaurants, but there is a small difference between the two.
Saag is a generic term used for curried greens. This includes a variety of green leafy vegetables like Mustard Greens (Sarson), Fenugreek (Methi), Collard Greens, Spinach (called Palak in Hindi), and other similar varieties.
Typically in northern India, Saag refers to a curried combination of spinach and mustard greens, whereas Palak refers to a spinach curry.
How to Make Chicken Saag with other Greens
As long you match the quantity of the greens to around 10-12 ounces, you can make this recipe with any greens of your choice.
Some alternatives that have worked well for me are combinations of any two varieties of these greens: baby kale (or regular kale), mustard greens, collard greens and spinach.
Recipe for Spiced Mustard Greens- Sarson Ka Saag
Here is a recipe for Saag made with a combination of Mustard Greens and Spinach (Sarson Ka Saag).
How to Make Chicken Saag in an Instant Pot
In this recipe, I adapted my stove-top recipe for the Instant Pot and made it a one-pot dish. This recipe works with any electric pressure cooker. Here's how I make it:
- Turn on Saute mode in Instant Pot or any electric pressure cooker. When the display reads 'hot', add 1 tbsp oil. (pic 1)
- Sprinkle a little garam masala and salt on chicken breast (or thighs) and place it seasoned side down in the cooking pot. Let it brown for 1 minute. (pic 2)
- After that, flip the chicken. (pic 3)
- Season the other side with a pinch of garam masala and salt and cook for 1 minute. Remove chicken and keep aside. (pic 14)
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil and cumin seeds and let them sizzle (about 30 seconds). (pic 5)
- Add sliced onions, halved green chili/pepper and crushed ginger and garlic. Saute for 1 minute. (pic 6)
- Add salt, turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin and Kashmiri Chili Powder in the pot. (pic 7)
- Add ½ cup water. Turn off Saute mode. Use the water to deglaze the pot, which means scrap any brown bits in the cooking pot. (pic 8)
- Add baby spinach leaves and toss them well with the aromatics. (pic 9)
- Place the chicken on top of the spinach. (pic 10)
- Close the lid. Set 8 minutes on Pressure cook or manual mode. If using chicken thighs, adjust time to 6 mins. When cooking time is up, manually release the pressure. You can do that by turning the pressure valve to 'Venting' mode in DUO models, or pushing down the valve in ULTRA models. When the pin drops, open the lid. (pic 11)
- Remove the chicken and keep aside to rest while you blend the curry. (pic 12)
- Using an immersion blender, blend the spinach into a curry-like consistency. If you like your curry a bit chunky, you can customize that while pureeing. (pic 13)
- Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and add it back to the spinach curry. (pic 14 & 15)
- Optional step: Stir in 1 tsp of butter. This gives the curry a gorgeous shine. (pic 16)
Make a Meal: What to Serve with Chicken Saag
Like most Indian curries, Chicken Saag goes great with rice, roti or naan. Since this dish is a combination of protein and vegetables (chicken and spinach), I like to keep it simple and serve it with:
- Cumin Rice (can make this pot-in-pot- see instructions below)
- Cucumber Raita (Indian Yogurt Dip)
If you're eating low-carb, you can pair this curry with Indian Cauli rice (riced cauliflower).
How to Make Pot-in-Pot Rice with Chicken Saag
- Assemble rice, water and seasoning in an oven-safe bowl as per recipe instructions. You can follow this recipe for Cumin Rice.
- Place a trivet over the chicken and spinach curry. Push down the trivet gently so it is stable.
- Place the rice bowl on top of the trivet, like in the picture below, close the lid and follow remaining pressure cooking instructions.
Vegetarian Alternative: Saag Paneer/Palak Paneer
The vegetarian alternative for this dish is called Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer. This extremely popular dish is made with Paneer, which is a firm Indian cottage cheese, simmered in a spinach curry.
How to Make Restaurant-Style 'Extra Creamy' Saag Chicken
The Chicken Saag that I've had in restaurants is rich and creamier than my homestyle version. Here's what you can do to get that taste:
- Add ¼ cup heavy whipping cream towards the end along with chicken pieces. Simmer the curry for a 2-3 minutes. Check for seasoning and turn off the heat.
- Or, for a dairy-free alternative, add ¼ cup cashews along with the onions and saute. When you puree the sauce towards the end, the cashews will blend and provide a nice creamy texture.
Pro-Tips for a Delicious Chicken Saag
- Seasoning the chicken adds another level of flavor to this curry, so avoid skipping that step.
- If you don't have the time to briefly brown the chicken, simply season it with garam masala and salt before placing it on top of the spinach.
How to Make Saag Chicken for Parties
When making this curry ahead of time for entertaining, break it up in two steps
- Make the chicken curry (without spinach) a day earlier.
- On the day of the party, microwave the greens, puree them and simmer with the chicken curry before serving.
Check out the image below for clarity.
More Indian Favorites from My Kitchen (Gluten-Free)
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Restaurant-Style Butter Chicken
- Dal Makhani (Madras Lentil Curry)
- Chicken Vindaloo
- Lamb Korma
- Goat Curry
- Chana Masala (Chickpeas Curry)
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Chicken Saag in Instant Pot (Chicken & Spinach Curry) | Palak Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil (Refined olive oil or vegetable oil)
- 1½ lbs chicken breast (boneless, skinless), can use thighs instead
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cup onion, chopped (1 medium onion)
- 1 Green Chili, cut in half (Serrano or Jalapeno)
- 1 tbsp ginger, crushed or pureed (1 inch ginger)
- 1 tbsp garlic, crushed or pureed (3-4 cloves)
- 12 oz baby spinach
- ½ cup water (adjust for 8 qt)
Spices
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp garam masala (if using store-bought, add 3 tsp)
- 1½ tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¾ tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder (or paprika)
Optional Ingredient (add after pressure cooking)
- 1 tsp butter
Instructions
- Turn on Saute mode in Instant Pot or any electric pressure cooker. When the display reads 'hot', add 1 tbsp oil.
- Sprinkle a little garam masala and salt on chicken breast (or thighs) and place it seasoned side down in the cooking pot. Let it brown for 1 minute. After that, flip the chicken and season the other side with a pinch of garam masala and salt and cook for 1 minute. Remove chicken and keep aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil and cumin seeds. As soon as the sizzle (takes about 30 seconds), add sliced onions, halved green chili/pepper and crushed ginger and garlic. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add all the spices along with ½ cup water. Turn off Saute mode. Use the water to deglaze the pot, which means scrap any brown bits in the cooking pot.
- Add baby spinach leaves and toss them well. Place the chicken on top of the spinach. Close the lid. Set 8 minutes on Pressure cook or manual mode. If using chicken thighs, adjust time to 6 mins.
- When cooking time is up, manually release the pressure. You can do that by turning the pressure valve to 'Venting' mode in DUO models, or pushing down the valve in ULTRA models. When the pin drops, open the lid.
- Remove the chicken and keep aside. Using an immersion blender, blend the spinach into a curry-like consistency. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and add it back to the spinach curry.
- Optional step: Stir in 1 tsp of butter. This gives the curry a gorgeous shine.
Video
Notes
- Seasoning the chicken adds another level of flavor to this curry, so avoid skipping that step.
- If you don't have the time to briefly brown the chicken, simply season it with garam masala and salt before placing it on top of the spinach.
- When making this curry ahead of time for entertaining, break it up in two steps- make the chicken curry (without spinach) a day earlier. On the day of, microwave the greens, puree them and simmer with the chicken curry before serving.
- To make Restaurant-style 'extra creamy' Chicken Saag, you can do the following:
- Add ¼ cup heavy whipping cream towards the end along with chicken pieces. Simmer the curry for a 2-3 minutes. Check for seasoning and turn off the heat.
- Or, for a dairy-free alternative, add ¼ cup cashews along with the onions and saute. When you puree the sauce towards the end, the cashews will blend and provide a nice creamy texture.
Lizet Bowen says
This dish was delicious. One of my kids was a little bit scared when he saw the green sauce 😅 but once he tried it, he loved it too. The whole family enjoyed it.
Aneesha says
Lol, that's exactly how my daughter reacts to 'green food' 🙂 I'm so glad your family enjoyed it. Thanks Lizet!
Seth says
Hello. This looks great, as do many of your other recipes. I'm going to try this one first, but I am confused about one thing. You say 8 minutes for chicken breast and 6 minutes for thighs. I thought thighs take longer to cook than breasts. There is another recipe I use for cooking chicken breast which calls for 5 minutes with a 10 min npr. This comes out absolutely perfect. I'm a little worried about cooking it for an additional 3 minutes...
Aneesha says
Hi Seth, Is the 5 mins for whole chicken breast or pieces? This one is for whole chicken breast because we want to be able to pull that out and puree the spinach sauce. And chicken thighs cook faster than breast because they are less thicker than breast. Let me know what cut you're using and I can confirm the timing. Thanks.
Emily Olson says
Hello! This dish looks absolutely delicious. I really want to try making it, but I unfortunately do not have an instant pot. What would I need to do to be able to cook it on the stove top?
Aneesha says
Hi Emily, I would follow steps 1-5 in a heavy bottom stock pot on medium-high heat. After that, reduce to medium heat, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, till the chicken cooks through. Once done, remove the chicken and dice. Puree the spinach pix and add chicken back. Enjoy!
Emily says
My husband and I just finished eating this delicious meal, thank you for your advise on cooking it on the stove top! I ended up cooking it in my Dutch oven for 20 minutes because the 2 chicken breasts were quite large,and it came out perfectly. Thank you again for your help and for this wonderful recipe.
Aneesha says
Hi Emily, you're most welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, hope you try more!
Jennifer says
My husband loves this dish and I was looking for an instapot recipe that was easy and delicious, what a hit! I felt like such a chef! Thanks for giving us a new favorite to add to the list
Aneesha says
Hi Jennifer, that's so sweet! I'm glad you and your husband enjoyed it so much, it's a favorite in my home too 🙂 Thank you!
Jude says
This recipe was so so incredible and I've recommended it to several friends! Thank you for sharing. I'll be sharing more of your recipes soon.
Aneesha says
Hi Jude, thank you so much for loving and sharing this recipe. I'm very glad you enjoyed it. Thanks again!
Marissa says
This recipe sounds easy and delicious! However, what do you do with the halved pepper? I see it in the list of ingredients and, after reading the recipe three times, I don't see where to add it into the pot. Is that included in the "add all the spices"? I can't wait to try this!
Aneesha says
Hi Marissa, thanks for pointing that out, I just fixed that. I add that with the sliced onions. If you see the video or image '6', you'll see that step. I'd love to hear how you like it! Enjoy!
Marissa says
Thank you so much! I am making this tonight!
Aneesha says
Hi Marissa, you're most welcome! I'd love to hear how you liked it, hope you love it!
Marissa says
Oh my goodness, this was delicious! Thank you for the delightful recipe and all of the wonderful information you give along with it! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Aneesha says
Hi Marissa, I am so glad you enjoyed it!! It's one of our favorites. Try the chicken tikka masala next! Thanks for sharing your experience. If you get a chance, I'd appreciate if you could rate the recipe 🙂 Thanks!
Meenal Jethi says
Is The chicken to be pressure cooked for 8 minutes on hugh pressure or low pressure?
Aneesha says
Hi Meenal, it's high pressure. Hope you enjoy it!
Trey says
Hi Aneesha. Thank you for the Instant Pot Chicken Saag recipe. Wow! It was delicious with layers of flavor. My only variation was that I couldn’t find whole cumin seeds in my local supermarket and I therefore substituted ground cumin seeds. As I suspect the whole cumin seeds will provide a more intense flavor to the recipe, I will have them on hand when I make this dish again.
Aneesha says
Hi Trey,
Thank you! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe. Cumin seeds add another level of flavor to this dish, so if you cannot find them, you can substitute that with an additional 1/4 tsp ground cumin. Thanks again!