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    Where Is My Spoon > Other Recipes by Region > Asian and Indian Recipes

    Spinach Chicken Curry – Healthy Chicken Saag

    Published by: Adina November 5, 2019 · Last modified: March 4, 2022 5 Comments

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    A healthier and simplified version of the famous chicken saag, this easy spinach chicken curry will definitely satisfy your curry cravings.

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    HEALTHY CHICKEN SAAG

    chicken spinach curry

    Tender chicken pieces in a creamy spinach sauce with lots of spices, this is a healthier version of the Indian chicken saag recipe, full of taste but with only half the calories.

    And did I mention how quickly you can cook this spinach and chicken curry?

    Chicken saag used to be one of my favorite dishes to order in an Indian restaurant. I say “used to be” because Indian restaurants are scarce around here, so I don't get to visit one more than once or twice a year.

    I love chicken and I love spinach and the combination of the two in that creamy sauce is a dream!

    I started making chicken saag at home a long time ago, a classic Indian recipes, using tons of spices and tons of heavy cream and sour cream. Incredibly delicious! But incredibly full of calories as well.

    I am not shy when using heavy cream, I use it often enough, but mostly I prefer to use it for cakes. For every day cooking, I would rather cook slimmer recipes, not something involving so much fat.

    SPINACH CHICKEN CURRY

    This is how this recipe for a healthier chicken saag or spinach chicken curry evolved.

    First, I started using chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs, then I reduced the number of spices, leaving out those that are rather hard to get and then I replaced the cream with milk and a little cream cheese to help with the consistency of the sauce.

    The result is a low-fat chicken saag, that tastes incredibly good, is spicy and creamy, yet still helps you keep your waistline.

    healthy chicken saag with rice

    INGREDIENTS FOR SPINACH CHICKEN CURRY

    Spices:

    • Ground ginger
    • Ground sweet paprika
    • Curry powder – check how hot your curry powder is before adding it to the mixture and use accordingly. The curry powder I have is pretty mild.
    • Garam masala – this spice mixture is pretty easy to get in larger supermarkets. If not, you could make your own mixture.
    • Chili flakes – use according to taste.

    Chicken:

    • As mentioned above, to make this chicken saag recipe leaner, I use boneless skinless chicken breast instead of chicken thighs.

    Tomato paste:

    • Thick tomato paste from a can or a tube, not tomato sauce or tomato puree.

    Spinach:

    • I use frozen spinach most of the times, but fresh spinach can be used instead.
    • If using fresh spinach, two large handfuls should be OK. Only add fresh spinach during the last 2 minutes of the cooking time and let it wilt in the pan.
    healthy chicken saag ready to be served

    HOW TO MAKE SPINACH CHICKEN CURRY?

    • Mix together all the spices in a small bowl. Set aside. It is preferable to mix the spices before you start cooking, so that you will not waste a lot of time searching for the spices and measuring them while the onions and the garlic are in the pan.
    • Let the spinach defrost partially while you prepare the rest, it doesn't need to be fully thawed.
    • If using fresh spinach wash it and let it drain in a sieve.
    • Chop the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Finely chop the onion. Finely chop the garlic. Keep all these ingredients separated as they all have different cooking times.
    • Heat the oil in a skillet or a non-stick pan. Cook the onion on medium low heat for about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute.
    • Add the spices and stir for another minute.
    frying spices and chicken in a pan
    • Add the chicken and the tomato paste. Stir well to coat the chicken with the tomato paste and the spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
    • In the meantime, chop the tomatoes in small cubes. Add them to the skillet together with the milk, vegetable stock and cream cheese. Stir well until the cream cheese is incorporated.
    • Add the frozen spinach as well.
    • If using fresh spinach only add it during the last 2 minutes of the cooking time.
    • Cover the pan leaving a crack open and cook for 5-7 minutes until the spinach is fully thawed, the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened.
    • Adjust the taste, if necessary.
    • Serve with rice.
    chicken saag in a bowl

    MORE CURRIES?

    Vegan Potato Curry with Tofu

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    Pumpkin Turkey Curry

    PIN IT FOR LATER!

    chicken spinach curry in a bowl
    close up chicken saag in a bowl

    Spinach Chicken Curry - Healthy Chicken Saag

    A healthier and simplified version of the famous chicken saag, this easy spinach chicken curry will definitely satisfy your curry cravings.
    4.50 from 6 votes
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    Course: Chicken Breast
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 33 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 292kcal
    Author: Adina
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    Ingredients 

    • Spice mixture:
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ½ teaspooon sweet paprika
    • 2 teaspoons curry powder See note
    • 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
    • ¼ teaspoon chili flakes more or less to taste
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • Curry:
    • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 450 g/ 1 lb
    • 1 small onion about 50 g/ 1.7 oz
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 250 g/ 8.8 oz ripe tomatoes
    • 100 ml/ 3.4 fl.oz/ approx. ½ cup milk
    • 60 ml/ 2 oz/ ¼ cup vegetable broth
    • 1 heaped tablespoon low-fat cream cheese
    • 200 g/ 7 oz frozen spinach about 4-5 large cubes

    Instructions

    Spice mixture:

    • Mix all the spices in a small bowl. Set aside.

    Curry:

    • Let the spinach defrost partially while you prepare the rest.
    • Chop the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Finely chop the onion. Finely chop the garlic. Keep them separated.
    • Heat the oil in a skillet or a non-stick pan. Cook the onion on medium-low heat, stirring often, until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute.
    • Add the spice mixture and stir for another minute.
    • Add the chicken and the tomato paste. Stir well to coat the chicken with the tomato paste and the spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
    • In the meantime, chop the tomatoes into small cubes. Add them to the skillet together with the milk, vegetable stock, and cream cheese. Stir well until the cream cheese is incorporated. Add the spinach as well.
    • Cover the pan leaving a crack open and cook for 5-7 minutes until the spinach is fully thawed, the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened.
    • Serve with rice.

    Notes

    Check how hot the curry powder is and use accordingly. Mine was mild.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/4 of the dish | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 477mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. angiesrecipes says

      November 06, 2019 at 7:14 am

      That's a great looking curry! Would be really nice with some garlic rice :-))

      Reply
    2. Kaitlin S says

      May 19, 2020 at 3:18 am

      This is one of the BEST meals I have ever made. And at only 300 cal a serving - what a steal!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        May 19, 2020 at 7:33 am

        Hi Kaitlin. So happy to read this, thank you for commenting. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Debbie says

      September 05, 2022 at 7:09 pm

      5 stars
      Very easy tastes delicious.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        September 06, 2022 at 7:20 am

        So happy to hear, we love it too.

        Reply

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