Monday, January 14, 2008

Spinach/palak chicken - taste bhi, health bhi

We love chicken and I make it at least once a week. Making the same recipe every week gets a bit boring. And incorporating palak with chicken makes it more nutritious.
Whenever i made palak paneer, i felt it tasted too bland. My friend Vineeta came to my rescue. She showed me some tricks to make palak paneer yummy. I used the same tricks in the palak chicken and i really tastes wonderful. Do try this dish.


 
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Spinach/Palak Chicken
Ingredients:
Palak/baby Spinach ½ pound (you can use regular spinach)
6-8 small pieces of chicken – I use bone in halal chicken.
1 tblsp butter
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
6-8 black peppers
1 piece cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic grated
½ inch piece of ginger grated
1 large tomato chopped
2 green chilies chopped
1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Method-

Chop half of the spinach, add it to boiling water and cook it for 3 mins. Keep aside. Boil the other half of the spinach in water for 3 mins and then grind it with a little water into a smooth paste.

Heat the butter in a pan (I use a non stick pan). Heat it on a low heat till it turns light brown. Add the bay leaves, cloves, black peppers and cinnamon. Then add cumin seeds. Fry for a minute and then add the sliced onions. Increase the heat to medium.
Fry the onions till they are light brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste and chopped green chilies and fry for a min.
Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder and fry for 30 sec.
Add the chopped tomato and fry for about 10 mins, till the masala is cooked and oil separates from the masala.
Add the chicken pieces and mix well. Fry the chicken with the masala for 5 mins. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 mins. Add a little water if needed.
Add both the pureed and chopped spinach and mix well. Add ¼ th cup water. Add the garam masala, mix well, cover and cook for 10 mins. Serve hot with naan and chopped onions.

The browned butter gives a nutty taste to the spinach. Keeping half of the spinach chopped gives a very nice texture to the palak chicken.

3 comments:

Dori said...

I absolutely love chicken and spinach! I have had it so many ways and love each and every one...I have to try yours now :)

Rachel said...

I avoided spinach too because of the blandness..thanks for this

vimmi said...

Thanks meeso

Rachel, I avoided spinach with chicken bcos it was too bland. but since i use more chicken and less spinach, and bcos of the broned butter and spices, u wont find it bland.
Do try to use chciken that u get in international stores or indian stores. The taste is unbelievable