This Chicken Spinach or Chicken Palak Curry is creamy, flavorsome, amazingly delicious & makes for a comforting meal! It is minimally spiced, yet the warm Indian flavors will keep you returning for more. Serve Palak Chicken over steamed rice, with tandoori Roti, Chapati, Naan, or Plain Parathas.

Chicken palak curry is a delicious and nutritious dish that combines tender chicken pieces with vibrant spinach (palak) gravy. Here’s a step-by-step recipe!

Ingredients For Chicken Palak Curry:

To Marinate

• 1 pound Boneless Chicken (1 to 1½ inch cubes, 12 Kg or 1.7 lbs, 3/4 kg bone-in chicken
• 1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon black pepper (crushed/powder)
• 1/4 to 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (leave out for kids)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 

To Make Palak Paste

• 8 to 9 ounces Baby Spinach (250 grams fresh palak, 7 to 8 cups)
• 2 to 4 green chilies (slit, Indian/ Thai/ Serrano chili peppers, read notes)
• 16 to 20 cashews (or 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream)

Other Ingredients For Chicken Palak Curry

• 2 tablespoons oil (divided, or 1 tbsp oil & 1 tbsp ghee)
• 3/4 to 1 cup onions (very fine chopped, 1 medium onion)
• 3/4 to 1 cup tomatoes (deseeded & finely chopped, peeled if required)
• 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste (1 teaspoon each)
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon garam masala (adjust to taste)
• 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream or any cream to garnish

Aromatic Spices (read notes)

• 1 small Indian bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 green cardamoms
• 3 to 4 cloves
• 1-inch cinnamon piece
• 1 black cardamom (masala elaichi)

Try This Also:

• Tandoori Roti Recipe
• Pani Puri Recipe
• Grilled Chicken Recipe

How To Make Chicken Palak Curry:

Preparation for Chicken Palak Curry

1. Add chicken to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, red chili powder and lemon juice. Mix and set aside until we need it.
2. Pour 1 teaspoon oil into a hot pan and add cashews and green chilies. Stir fry until the chilies blister.
3. Add spinach (cleaned, rinsed, and drained) and stir fry on medium heat until wilted and fully cooked, for 6 mins. Turn off the heat & cool this.

Make spinach puree

1. Pour 1/2 cup cold water into a blender and transfer the spinach, chilies, and cashews.
2. You may set aside some of the green chilies which you can adjust later.
3. Make a smooth puree and taste test. If you want more heat add back the green chilis that we set aside and blend.

Cooking the chicken

1. Add the rest of the oil (along with ghee if using) to a hot pan. Add all the whole spices and let them sizzle.
2. Stir in the chopped onions and saute until light brown & soft. Stir in the ginger garlic and saute for a minute, until aromatic.
3. Add tomatoes and salt. Stir well and cook until the tomatoes lose their raw flavor. If you want you may cook covered at this stage.
4. Add the marinated chicken and stir fry on medium-high heat, until pale. Stir in the garam masala.
5. Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup hot water and mix well. Cook covered on medium heat, until chicken is fully cooked through.

Add spinach puree

1. Stir in the Spinach puree. If the palak chicken gravy is too thick, you may pour hot water.
2. Simmer until bubbling hot and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Taste test and adjust salt.

Finishing touches

1. Take kasuri methi in your palms and crush it well. Sprinkle all over. Turn off the heat. Keep the gravy slightly runny if you want to serve it with rice. It thickens slightly upon cooling.
2. Garnish Palak Chicken optionally with cream. Squeeze lemon juice while serving. Serve with Steamed rice, Naan, Tandoori Roti, or Chapati.

Enjoy this tasty and easy-making Palak Chicken Curry with friends and loved ones!

☐ Optional Tempering

• This is not a part of the recipe but if you love authentic Indian flavors, make a nice tadka and pour it over the dish.
• Heat 1 tablespoon ghee on a medium heat. Add 2 to 3 sliced garlic cloves and 2 dried red chillies.
• Fry on low heat for a minute, until garlic turns light golden.
• Add 1/4 teaspoon hing (optional). Turn off and pour it over palak chicken.

☐ NOTES

• Whole spices make a lot of difference. However, if you do not want to use them, leave them out and add more garam masala.
• Whole spices are discarded while eating.
• You can leave out the cashews, but the dish still turns out good. But you need to reduce the green chilies and water.

☐ Variations

• Spice Level: Adjust the amount of chili powder or green chilies according to your preference for spiciness.
• Creaminess:  Some recipes use coconut milk instead of yogurt or cream for a different flavor profile.
• Additions: You can add diced potatoes or paneer (Indian cottage cheese) along with the chicken for added texture and flavor.

Blanch Spinach For Low-Oxalate Diet

• If you are on a low-oxalate diet & yet permitted to eat a bit of palak this tip may be helpful. Boil the palak & skip the tomatoes too. Also, cut down your serving size. Here is how to Prepare the spinach:
• Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile pour 2 cups of clean water into another bowl and add 6 to 8 ice cubes. When the water begins to boil, take 1/4 cup water to a bowl and soak your cashews.
• Add the spinach & chilies. Stir well and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Lift them with a tong and add them to ice-cold water. Remove and add to blender along with cashews. With this step, you have to cook the curry for a little longer after adding it to the pan.
• Discard the water in which you boiled the spinach.

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