Who doesn't love healthy "fakeaway" version of a delicious curry?! I love a chicken saag and it's chock full of that, fabulously good for you, dark green spinach!
This recipe has quite a hefty list of ingredients and two steps but it really is easy, I promise! It's so worth digging out all the spices and comes in at just 456 calories including rice. I was aiming to make six portions but they were quite large so I split it into seven.
(Serves 7)
261 calories (not including the rice/wraps)
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
900g chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
250g Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
1 ½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
For the sauce:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp chopped red chilli
small bunch fresh coriander stalks, chopped
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
1 ½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tin chopped tomatoes
chicken stock cube mixed with 200ml water
350g baby spinach, washed and dried
salt to taste
small bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped
200g Greek yogurt
Method:
Combine the chicken, yoghurt and spices for the marinade in a bowl and cover in fridge overnight or for at least an hour.
Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for approximately 5 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and place to the side.
Add the onion, garlic, coriander stalks, chilli and ginger to the pan and cook until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Over medium heat, add the salt, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, and chilli powder, and stir on medium-low heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so. Add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.
Add the spinach a handful at a time and gently stir to combine as it starts to wilt. Cover and raise the heat to medium-high, allowing the spinach to wilt, stirring intermittently for about 3 to 5 minutes until all the spinach has wilted. Add the chopped coriander leaves and stir to combine.
Transfer spinach mixture to a food processor and puree until relatively smooth but still with a bit of texture. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
Return the chicken and the sauce to the pan over a medium heat and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and serve with basmati rice and/or chapattis.
