Saag Chicken – Chicken with winter greens

Saag Chicken is probably one of my favourite dishes to be made with mustard leaves. Traditionally made with mutton, this healthier version is delicious and hits all the right notes.

Let me start with a confession, this Saag Chicken traditionally is a Saag meat recipe. But when I managed to put together all the greens for this, I had chicken at home. Besides, we are trying hard to avoid red meat in everyday home meals. So the result is this delicious Saag Chicken.

Second confession – It is not the first time I am making or eating it, I haven’t invented this dish. Generations of homemakers have been probably doing the same and my memories of these are also from a friends house. But what I was trying to say is that traditionally this was always the mutton dish. Mustard leaves mixed with bathua, spinach and whatever was handy slow cooked along with mutton, ginger and green chillies. The dish finished with a tadka of mustard oil, jeera, chilli powder and chopped raw ginger. It is a very comforting winter dish and may be one day I will make the effort and share the recipe for that too.

But till then I am sharing this quicker and equally delicious saag chicken. It carries forward the legacy of the dish in the greens and the beautiful tadka. And if you think Sarsoon ka Saag is the best way to eat winter Mustard leaves, this is a dish that mind change your mind for good.  Serve it with makki ki roti or simple lacha parantha, some raw onions and pickles. Finish it with a bite of jaggery and it might be one of the best winter meals of this season.

Saag Chicken - Chicken with winter greens

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine Indian, north indian, punjabi

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1.5 cup mustard leaves cleaned, chopped
• 1/2 cup palak leaves cleaned, chopped
• 1 cup bathua leaves cleaned, chopped
• 500 gms chicken curry cut
• 2 inch ginger chopped
• 3 Green Chilies

For the masala

• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• 2 large tomatoes finely chopped
• Salt to taste

For the tadka

• 1 tsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp garama masala
• 1 tsp jeera seeds
• 1 inch ginger juilened

Instructions

 

• In a pressure cooker add cleaned and chopped greens along ginger & green chillies. Boil for one whistle and then 5 minutes on low flame. Set aside till the steam releases and cool the greens. Once the greens are slightly cool, grind them coarsely using a mixie.
• In a heavy bottom kadai (I love to do this in a cast iron pan), heat mustard oil and add onions. Sautee till they turn brown. Add tomatoes and sautee till they are soft and the oil seperates.
• Add salt, chicken and fry till the masala coats the chicken and chicken starts to change color slightly. Add the puree greens and cook till the chicken is tender and the gravy thickish.
• Now in a small tadka pan, heat the mustard oil and add jeera. Fry till it is brown, add chilli powder and garam masala. Pour over the chicken, garnish with chopped raw ginger and serve hot.

Notes

PS - If you don't have the exact greens handy, you can mix it up with what you have at home. I have made this many different greens in various ratios and it has always come out well.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!