Chicken Saag or Saagwala Curry

A chicken saag or saagwala curry one of my favourite Indian dishes and my recipe makes it really easy to make at home!

It is a recipe that is one of the ever-present dishes in the old-school British Indian curry house. Iron-rich spinach may take the top billing but the star is the boldly flavoured spicy gravy.

Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry

Despite the exotic name, this is nothing more than a chicken and spinach curry.

This chicken saag recipe joins other British Indian restaurant favourites like garlic chilli chicken, chicken tikka masala, chicken balti and chicken Chettinad here on my site.

The sag or saagwala curry is one of those ubiquitous dishes that tends to appear on all British Indian restaurant menus.

Depending on where you are dining it sometimes appears in a rich and bold dark green sauce that I tend to think of as palak chicken.

Other times it appears as it is here, with loads of spinach wilted into a simple curry sauce.

I adore this dish, it was published many years ago and I occasionally re-photograph it mainly as an excuse to cook it again… but the recipe rarely changes, because you guys seem to love it as much as I do!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cook this in advance?

I would advise against cooking this all the way through and then reheating it because spinach can become bitter when overcooked.

I would cook the recipe through to stage 6 and then pop it in the fridge for a couple of days or freeze it. Then reheat the curry and add the spinach, ginger and ghee to finish the dish when you reheat it.

Why do you add the ghee and ginger at the end of the curry?

Adding ghee and ginger for the final 5 minutes of this chicken sag completely changes the texture and the flavour of this recipe.

The ginger adds a wonderful and vibrant flavour to what is a very ‘earthy’ curry and the ghee lends richness. 

Can I use chicken breast?

Yes you could, it does not have quite as much flavour as chicken thigh and it can become dry if overcooked, but with gentle cooking, chicken breast can be delicious in this recipe.

How hot is this curry?

Like all curry recipes, how spicy they are depends on you, the cook. You can adjust the spice levels to your own taste.

Having said that, in a restaurant, this dish would fall firmly in the ‘medium’ curry range. All of the heat comes from Kashmiri chilli powder. which is not particularly spicy.

What is the difference between saag, and saagwala curries?

Absolutely nothing, saag translates to ‘leaf greens’ in Hindi the “wala” at the end when translated roughly means “the one with the leaf greens”.

Serving Suggestions

My first port of call for side dishes with any curry dish is usually flatbread and this chicken saag is no different.

My two go-to choices are usually a tandoori-style naan bread or some chapatis. If I am making them at home, my choice is defined by how much planning I have done, the latter only takes around half an hour.

Rice is also another obvious but glorious option, I’m often lazy with rice and opt for plain rice, but pilau rice is always a welcome change.

Potatoes are an overlooked option as a side for a curry, and no I am not talking about chips. I think that the wonderful flavours in this chicken saagwala are absolutely perfect alongside aloo methi or fenugreek potatoes.

Don’t forget a big pile of poppadoms, kachumber salad, mango chutney and mint raita to kick off your Indian-inspired feast!

Equipment Used

I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Stovetop.
• 30cm or 12″ frying pan with a lid.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Grater.
• Mini blender.
• Weighing scales and or a combination of measuring jug, cups and spoons.