Palak chicken is a classic Pakistani curry is made with tender chicken simmered in a spinach and tomato sauce flavored with lots of traditional spices.
What is Palak Chicken?
Palak translates to spinach in Hindi/Urdu, so Palak Chicken is in a literal sense “Spinach Chicken”.
This is a very popular chicken curry in many regions across Pakistan and India. You might have even encountered spinach curries with other proteins on restaurant menus like beef/mutton asPalak Gosht, or with paneer (cottage cheese) as Palak Paneer.
Palak Chicken is a classic curry served in many Pakistani homes. It is a delicious flavorful curry, and quite nutritious with lots of spinach!
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for easy Pakistani chicken curry recipes, here are some of our favorites:
- Korma: Chicken braised in a Yogurt sauce
- Karahi Chicken: Chicken in Spicy Tomato Sauce
- Chicken Ka Salan: Pakistani Chicken Curry Recipe
- Creamy Butter Chicken Masala
Palak Chicken Curry Recipe
This Palak Chicken curry is relatively easy to make, making it perfect for even a weeknight meal.
Step #1: Sauté chicken
Start by heating the oil in a medium pot, and cooking the whole spices until they are fragrant.
Then add the chicken and sauté until the chicken is no longer pink.
For this recipe, you can use bone-in chicken or boneless chicken cut into bite sized pieces.
Step #2: Add ground spices, tomatoes, and spinach
The next step is to add the rest of the ingredients, one at a time.
Start with the ground/powdered spices, then the tomatoes, and finally the spinach, as well as a bit of water.
Mom’s Pro-Tip:
You can puree the spinach in a blender before adding it, to make a smoother curry!
Step #3: Simmer on low heat
Once you’ve mixed it all together let it simmer for at least 15 minutes, on low heat until everything is combined.
What to serve with Palak Chicken Curry?
This palak chicken is the perfect meal to pair with simple chapati roti, homemade tandoori naan or this cumin spiced rice.
If you’re looking for a simple side dish to serve with Palak Chicken, here are some of our favorites:
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it!
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Palak Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken boneless or bone in
- 1 bunch Fresh Spinach chopped (or frozen)
- 1/4 cup Fried onion
- 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Garam masala powder
- 5-7 Black peppercorn
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1/2 tsp Whole cumin
- 2 inch Cinnamon stick
- 1-2 Cardamom pods
- 1/2 cup Oil
- 2 Tomatoes, chopped large or ½ cup – 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Cilantro chopped
- 1-2 Green Chilli chopped, optional
- Kasoori methi/ dried fenugreek optional
Instructions
- In a pot add oil on low heat add the whole spices, until fragrant.
- Increase the heat to medium-high heat, add the ginger garlic paste, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add chicken and cook till no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add the powder spices except the garam masala (cumin coriandar, turmeric, red chilli powder) and cook for few minutes.
- Add the fried onion and cook till all mixed well. You may need to add upto a ¼ cup of water, if there is no more moisture.
- Add tomatoes. Mix well. Add chopped fresh or frozen spinach. Mix. Then add green chilli and kasoori methi/dried fenugreek, if using.
- Simmer on low heat until spinach is well blended and chicken is completely cooked.
- Remove from heat, and sprinkle Garam Masala powder and mix well.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with roti / naan and/or rice!