This is hands down the easiest and tastiest, and quickest recipe for chicken saag. A pour and cook instant pot recipe that takes minutes to prep and minutes to cook.
You will be in awe at how incredibly tasty and easy it is to make this chicken saag. It’s a dump and cook recipe – you just put everything into a pot and press start!
The fastest way to make the tastiest chicken saag:
This chicken saag recipe is unlike any other – there is no need to sauté anything. That’s right. And it tastes absolutely authentic.
How’s this possible? It’s all thanks to my pre-made onion masala. I really hope you’re familiar with my onion masala series by now, but if not – it’s where I share recipes calling for exact amounts of my magical masala. Having this masala handy makes it possible to cook authentic Indian meals in minutes. Actual minutes.
WATCH HOW EASY IT IS TO MAKE CHICKEN SAAG!
(for the full recipe, see the recipe card below 😋)
Add rinsed spinach to the pot, then add onion masala and chicken.
Remove the cooked chicken and cut it up, then blend the spinach (ideally with an immersion blender for ease). Stir the chicken back in, and you’ve got chicken saag, my friends!
What is saag?
Saag translates to “pureed greens.” You can use any green veggie to make saag, but I’m using spinach for this recipe. So technically, this is a palak (spinach) saag.
I’ve already shared a couple of instant pot vegetarian saag recipes on my blog if you want to check those out too: this Punjabi saag with spinach and mustard greens (no tomatoes in this recipe) AND this dump and cook palak paneer.
Tips for making chicken saag in an Instant Pot:
- Make sure to rinse the spinach even if it is pre-washed. The little bit of water clinging to the leaves is enough to get the instant pot to start.
- You may wonder whether you need to add even more water to this recipe. If using chicken thighs as written, you do not add more water to this! The thighs release water and fat and the spinach leaves will also release water as the pot comes to pressure. If you want to use chicken breast in this recipe, you’ll want to add a tablespoon of water as breasts release less fat and a bit less water than thighs.
- If after pureeing you think the saag looks thin or watery, you always press sauté at the end to boil off some of the liquid.
So… I have the craziest story to tell you guys. It’s seriously wild; brace yourselves.
The first time I made this chicken saag, my toddler Tony ate it, and then he said… “this is good, mom.”
I KNOW.
I didn’t have to bribe him. I didn’t have to ask him to eat the saag with promises of dessert. He just ate it. And then complimented me… on his own. And I beamed. I literally beamed.
It was the first time my 2-year-old (well, he’s 3 now but at the time 2) has ever verbally told me my cooking was good. And about a dish made with spinach, no less. One of my top 10 moments in life.
Even more impressive than getting my toddler’s approval… it has my father’s approval too (lol). As you might know (from the number of times I had to make and remake my gajar halwa, my chole, AND my rajma), his approval is hard to get.
This saag will win the approval of picky children and picky adults alike. 😂
Serve this chicken saag with plain basmati rice or jeera rice!
Ingredients
- 1 pound spinach leaves rinsed
- ½ cup frozen onion masala
- 1 ½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs
Add later:
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne optional
- Big pinch dried fenugreek leaves
- Heavy cream optional
- Ghee optional
Instructions
- Add the rinsed spinach to the instant pot, then add the onion masala on top.
- Place the chicken on top of the spinach and sprinkle a big pinch of salt and pepper on top of the chicken (along with a pinch of any other spices you’d like, turmeric or cayenne).
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure (or you can wait 10 minutes, then release pressure).
- Remove the lid and use tongs to place the chicken thighs onto a cutting board and allow chicken to cool down for a few minutes. Meanwhile use an immersion blender to puree the contents of the pot and then stir in the spices listed under “add later.”
- Chop the chicken into smaller pieces then add it back to the pot, stirring it into the spinach sauce.
- Stir in heavy cream or ghee if desired – you can use as much or as little as you’d like (this will also lighten the color and make it more “restaurant-like”).
Video
Notes
- This recipe (like all of my recipes) has only been tested in a 6 quart instant pot.
- I did not use heavy cream or ghee in the pictures you see in this post. I normally don’t use heavy cream for our everyday food – usually just when we’re having company and I want the dish to be a bit more rich/creamy.
- Make sure to rinse the spinach even if it is pre-washed. The little bit of water clinging to the leaves is enough to get the instant pot to start.
- You may wonder whether you need to add even more water to this recipe. If using chicken thighs as written, you do not add more water to this! The thighs release water and fat and the spinach leaves will also release water as the pot comes to pressure. If you want to use chicken breast in this recipe, you’ll want to add a tablespoon of water as breasts release less fat and a bit less water than thighs.
- If after pureeing you think the saag looks thin or watery, you always press sauté at the end to boil off some of the liquid.
- This recipe is part of my onion masala series – be sure to check it out!
Nancy says
This is delicious, but I always wind up having to dump it into a big pot and make on the stove and it takes forever to cook. No matter what I do, I get the dreaded burn notice.
Sima says
Every time I make this dish I am shocked anew by how easy and good it is. Thank you, Ashley!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Sima, so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you like it 🙂
Caroline says
I ended up having to add a full cup of water before my Instant Pot would actually come to pressure and seal. I tried it without adding the water, but the IP just switched to counting down without ever sealing. It did the same when I just added a quarter cup or a half cup of water. I used bagged fresh spinach and fresh chicken thighs. Maybe the bagged spinach doesn’t release enough water? The sauce was properly thick even with the extra cup of water added. So if you experience the same problem, don’t be afraid to add some water.
Also, I doubled the amount of garam masala and added a teaspoon of powdered resham patti chilis. I found the sauce rather bland with the original amount of spices (and this was after doubling the spices when I made the onion masala) — but this is probably a matter of personal taste. Or maybe it was that added cup of water!
jw says
pretty tasty!
1.def needs more salt. also I think more spice helps
2.if you instant pot says “burn” don’t worry about it, it’ll be fine!
Laura says
I love the onion masala and I’m excited to try many different recipes with it: however. For the chicken saag I got the burn warning on my instapot.
Maybe I should have added 1/4 cup of water to begin? And my onion masala was not frozen, I left it liquid since I made a batch last night. I am still excited to taste final product!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Laura, I’m so sorry for the very late reply! Were the spinach leaves rinsed? That little bit of water makes a difference, I think. Also, did you use chicken thighs? The fat from the thigh meat also helps prevent burning. Hopefully it still turned out well!
BeeCee says
I’m am just starting my journey with this cuisine. Also with the instant pot. (My son came home for Christmas and we made a couple of fabulous dinners under his tutelage. It’s great to learn from your child no matter what the age!)
I found this particular dish to be a bit bland, and I don’t like spicy food, but it didn’t seem to have the flavor dimensions of my first two forays into these great recipes. (Jeera rice with red daal and chicken curry with corn.)
However I expect that as a part of a more varied assortment of dishes this might be a welcome respite.
I used frozen spinach, my frozen onion masala (!) and added cream to the blended parts.
I do love coconut, so I’m going to search out some of your recipes with that ingredient.
I bought the ebook version of your Indian Food under Pressure. Just the table of contents gave me some terrific ideas for dishes to try!
Thank you for all your content and YouTube assistance.
Claire says
Hello Ashley,
Your chicken biryani dish is the number one, hands down favourite with my family and friends. I want to make the saag chicken dish. I plan on making the onion Marsala. Does the onion Marsala have to be frozen? Can I just make it and add it to the pot?
Thanks,
Claire
Sneha says
Can I make this recipe with Paneer instead of the chicken & call it palak paneer. I can leave out the Paneer & add it after pureeing the gravy will that work?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Sneha, you can follow this recipe – it’s very similar! https://myheartbeets.com/instant-pot-palak-paneer/
Geoffrey says
Made a batch, and the house consumed it all in one sitting. Going to try a double batch tomorrow – would you change the cooking time at all? (I may be trying this in bulk quantities for a party in an 8qt. Instant Pot…)
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
That’s awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked the chicken saag 🙂 How did the double batch go? I would keep everything the same – it should work just fine. Let me know!