Don’t you just love a curry! My simple instant pot chicken saag is perfect. It’s super simple and can be on the table in less than an hour, perfect for a busy weeknight or as part of a curry feast!
Simple Instant Pot chicken saag curry is often cooked with spinach which has been cooked and blended up in restaurants, some people even used tinned spinach for this dish. I first made saag with my mum while I was young, in Gujarati we call it bhaji. The literal translation is ‘spinach’ and saag refers to a way it’s traditionally eaten in Punjabi homes.
I came up with this recipe as EmJay and I are big fans of chicken saag, whenever we eat it in a restaurant, loaded with ghee and cream to make it rich and indulgent. My simple instant pot chicken saag still has a little butter, but it’s not anywhere near as rich, making it perfect for a homemade curry.
My version can be made with fresh or frozen spinach, both work equally well and there’s no blending around here either so you get all the good fibre from the spinach leaves, it’ll also work with a mix of greens.
Don’t be fooled by the long list of ingredients on this simple instant pot chicken saag, they are pretty much a bung it all in and go once your sautéing is done. It’s really easy and the great thing about it is once you’ve set your instant pot you can walk away and come back knowing that your curry will look after itself while your gone.
I do hope you’ll give it this simple instant pot chicken saag a try, it’s one of our favourites and goes perfectly with naan bread or some parathas to mop up and excess sauce and spinach. Try serving it alongside some lamb pulao or Spicy Split Moong Dhal for a full Indian feast.
Do let me know if you try it by posting a picture on Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #joshicooks !
Simple Instant Pot Chicken Saag
Ingredients
- 1 tbps sunflower flavourless oil
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 a star anise
- 1 inch cinnamon bark
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 dried red chilli
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 large onions diced
- 5 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 inch ginger peeled and grated
- 1 green chilli finely chopped
- 500 g Fresh or frozen spinach
- 400 g chicken breasts/thighs cut into chunks
- 25 g butter
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
Instructions
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Put your Instant Pot on saute mode and heat up the oil and then add your fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, star anise, cinnamon and cardamom pods.
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Once they begin to sizzle, add your onions, bay leaves and the dried red chilli, cook on a medium-high heat for around 5 minutes until the onions soften and begin to colour slightly. You may need to add a little water if your onions begin to stick
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Add your garlic, ginger, chilli and dry spices along with the tomato puree, lemon juice and salt. Keep mixing until everything is thoroughly combined.
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Add your chicken and give it a good mix through with the onions and spices.
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Top off with your spinach and give the whole lot a good mix around.
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Turn off saute mode and then press manual, set for 7-10 minutes (dependent on the size of your chicken pieces) and then allow the pot naturally release pressure, once done, open up and saute to thicken to desired consistency.
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Just before serving add your butter and garam masala, give the whole thing a good mix and serve hot, with fresh naan bread, rice and some freshly sliced salted red onions.
This looks so delicious. I’d love to broaden my curry knowledge and this looks great.
Thanks Cat! It’s a super simple and delicious curry!
This looks delicious. I keep talking myself out of instant pot purchasing becauss, would I use it! But I reckon I could do this on the job too so thanks for sharing.
It’s a brilliant gadget to have! This recipe works perfectly without it too, you could just as easily slow cook it for a couple of hours on the hob or in a slow cooker and it would work a treat!
Ooohh, my, does this look yummy! I do love a good curry, although I’ve never tried making saag before. Needless to say, I’ll be remedying that situation shortly!
It’s so delicious and easier than it looks too 🙂 do let me know if you give it a try!
You got me so excited with this curry! It sounds so so good and I’m always on the lookout for more tried IP recipes. I do love saag potatoes and make them regularly, now it’s time for the chicken! 🙂
Absolutely love my IP for nice and easy meals, saag potatoes sounds equally delicious!
Is there any liquid in this?
I usually get a burn message if I don’t add water.
You can add additional liquid after sautéing the onions if you feel like it but it’s really not necessary as the spinach and chicken have a lot of water in them.
Just cooked this and a great success 👌, very tasty
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for trying my recipe
I cooked this in a Ninja Foodi – absolutely delicious! Will definitely cook again and try other recipes! Thank you very much!