Spinach chicken or Palak Murgh is one of the yummies and a flavorful dish made out of spinach!That vibrant color from the spinach and the spice blend here makes a perfect combination of gravy.I’m so loving this dish!This will be lovely with some jeera rice or even rotis.I served it with Malabar special roti.
I got many requests for this recipe and i want a best and simple recipe for this.You can also check my Palak Paneer recipe and replace paneer with chicken.But this one has a different procedure, here palak is not blanching instead we grind it to a smooth puree and then simmer it until the moisture evaporates, that caught my attention.That ginger juliennes and whole green chilies enhance the flavor as well.
This beautiful recipe is adapted from Maunika Gowardhan’s Indan Cooking blog!I love her Indian curry recipes, simple and delicious.She used to come in Jamie Oliver’s food tube and love to see her videos.As she said “Could there really be anything better than a bowl of Palak Murgh served with jeera and peas pulao to soak up that rich thick gravy with moist chicken on the bone. Mixing grains of rice with the spiced spinach gravy and little pieces of chicken with every morsel is where I feel happiest delving in comfort food”Very true right?hehe!
If you like a thinner consistency add enough water.Hope you all will love this one.If you prefer blanching method you can do that too.
Let’s check out the recipe.
Ingredients
- 3/4 kg chicken on the bone (thighs and legs skinless)
- 600gms spinach leaves washed and trimmed
- 40mls water
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 1 bay leaves
- ½” cinnamon stick
- 2 onion finely chopped
- 1½” ginger roughly chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
- 2 green chilli
- 1 tbsp tomato paste or 1 finely chopped tomato
- 1 heaped tsp coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander for garnish
- Slivers of ginger for garnish
- Handful of kasoori methi/ dried crushed fenugreek leaves for garnish (optional)
For the marinade;
- 3 tbsp yogurt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp mild chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds crushed coarsely
Method
- In a large bowl mix all the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken pieces to this marinade and mix well making sure all the pieces are coated. Leave overnight or even just 30 minutes is fine.
- Set aside a handful of spinach for later. Add the remaining spinach to a blender along with 50mls water and blend to a smooth paste. You can do this in batches if you prefer.
- In a blender add the ginger, garlic and chilli with 2-3 tbsps of water and blitz to a paste. Set aside.
- Heat a saucepan and add the pureed spinach. Cook it on a low heat to rid of the moisture for 12-14 minutes until all the moisture has evaporated. Make sure to stir every few minutes. Set aside while you make the curry.
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottom saucepan. Add the whole spices including cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Fry for 20-30 seconds. Add the onions and fry on a medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Stir well as the colour begins to change add the ginger garlic and chili paste. Fry for a further 2 minutes stirring well. Add a splash of water if it begins to stick to the base of the pan.
- Make sure to scrap the base well and add the tomato puree. Fry for a couple of minutes and add the coriander powder. Stir well and add the marinated chicken pieces. Keep stirring making sure to seal the pieces well. Turn the heat up slightly and fry and seal the chicken pieces for 8-10 minutes.
- Now turn the heat to a low setting, season to taste and put the lid on cooking the chicken for 15-17 minutes. Stir halfway through the cooking process making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Now add the pureed spinach along with the garam masala and simmer on a low heat for a further 5-7 minutes with the lid on. Turn the heat off. Chop the handful of spinach you set aside earlier and add to the gravy. Stir well.
- Garnish with fresh coriander, slivers of ginger and kasoori methi (if using) Serve with naan or pulao and some raita.
Video Tutorial
If you are someone who is yet to try Palak Murgh do give this a try.
