Chicken Spinach Curry (Chicken Tikka Saag)

You’ll love this protein and flavor-packed chicken and spinach curry! It’s so easy that you can whip up a healthy curry any night of the week. Also called Saag Chicken, Chicken Tikka Saag, Palak Chicken, Murgh Saag…but it’s all the same – seasoned chicken in a creamy, spinach purée.

I’m super excited to share this recipe for a lightened up chicken and spinach curry! Growing up, this was a staple dish at my dinner table, only the version my mom made was was a bit more indulgent with pats of butter and heavy cream generously stirred in.

My chicken tikka saag has all the flavor, and none of the fat. I swap out the butter with just a bit of oil, and the heavy cream with just 2 tablespoons of nonfat half and half! You won’t believe this creamy dish is healthy, too!

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Tikka Saag

• EASY AND FAST: This dish comes together in under 30 minutes. All we’re doing is cooking chunks of chicken breast with spices and aromatics, adding in some puréed spinach, heating through and stirring in a bit of cream. THAT’S IT. You got this!
• GREAT Macros: My chicken spinach curry is packed with protein and vegetables. Serve with a side of basmati rice or a slice of my 10-minute Greek yogurt naan and you have a perfectly balanced, delicious meal.
• Healthier and Cheaper Than Takeout: We eat our fare share of Indian takeout, but it’s nice to be able to whip up some of our favorite dishes at home. Plus, we can create the delicious flavor without all the extra calories!

Chicken Spinach Curry Ingredients

Chicken Breast

I used chicken breast to keep the calories low, plus we sear and cook the chicken quickly so it doesn’t have time to dry out. Feel free to substitute boneless chicken thighs or even chicken tenderloins.

Spinach

I used frozen spinach in this recipe. I’m a huge fan of frozen spinach because it’s cheap to stock up on, lasts forever, and you can quickly thaw it and use it in this recipe. I don’t recommend using fresh spinach in this recipe as you’ll need to add extra steps like chopping, cooking it, etc before pureéing it.

Onion

I used a yellow onion, but you can substitute white or even red onion in this dish. It won’t affect the recipe.

Ginger & Garlic

If you have an Indian grocery store, or if your regular grocery store sells ginger and garlic pastes, this is a great thing to have on hand for Indian recipes. It will save you some time, but you can use fresh garlic and ginger, too. I used ginger paste for this recipe, but ran out of garlic paste, so you’ll see fresh minced garlic in the photo above. Both work!

Tomato Paste

I switched from buying the little cans of tomato paste to the metal tubes of tomato paste. Have you seen them? I never seem to use an entire little can of tomato paste, so the tube makes it easier to squeeze out exactly what I need and store the rest easily.

Spices

I feel like the most intimidating thing about cooking Indian food is the spice list. I think it’s worth investing in these spices because, in addition to this chicken tikka saag, you can use them to make so many delicious Indian recipes. We’ll be using cumin, garam masala, turmeric, coriander, and Kashmiri red chili. Kashmiri red chili powder is NOT the same as “chili powder” or “cayenne.” It’s a medium spicy chili that adds a bold and unique flavor to Indian dishes. If you are substituting cayenne, please note that cayenne is WAY more spicy, so use 1/4 tsp of cayenne to substitute.

Nonfat Half & Half

We’ll be stirring a splash of nonfat half and half into the chicken and spinach curry. You can substitute the same amount of Greek yogurt, or skip this ingredient entirely.

How to Make Chicken and Spinach Curry

Start by placing a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in your oil and once hot, add the chopped onions. Add in a pinch of salt and turmeric (approximately 1/4 teaspoon each) to the onions and saute until they start to get brown, about 8-10 minutes. Once the onions start to brown, add in the ginger and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.

While the aromatics are cooking, place frozen spinach in a microwave-safe dish and heat until steaming. Add hot spinach and about 1/4 cup water to blender, then blend until smooth. We can set the puréed spinach aside for now.

By now the onion mixture should be nicely browned. Add in tomato paste, along with a splash of water to deglaze the pan. Gently scrape up all the browned bits. Mmmmm flavor…

Cook for one minute.

Next, add in your chicken and spices. Give it a nice stir and cook for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is mostly cooked through.

Add one cup of water to the skillet to deglaze the pan and use your cooking spoon to gently scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom. Let the mixture simmer for about one minute, and then add in your puréed spinach. Stir and simmer until most of the water has been absorbed, about 5-7 minutes. You can add another splash of water if it’s evaporating too quickly.

Once most of the liquid is cooked out, turn off the heat. Stir in nonfat half and half and chopped cilantro. Your chicken tikka saag is ready to serve!

I love to serve this curry over steamed basmati rice, with a side of homemade naan. You can also serve it with plain pita bread or cauliflower rice.