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    Home » Recipes » Curry

    Chicken Saag (Chicken & Spinach Curry)- Instant Pot

    January 31, 2023 . By Meeta Arora . 80 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe
    A north Indian favorite - Chicken Saag. Chicken simmered in a creamy spinach sauce. Full of flavor and loaded with nutrients. Just 20 minutes to prepare in the #instantpot | #saag #palak #spinach #chicken #recipe #easy #pressurecooker #indian #curry #punjabi | pipingpotcurry.com

    Instant Pot Chicken Saag (Chicken & Spinach Curry) is a delicious dish from north India. A step-by-step recipe to prepare this in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker.

    Chicken Saag Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    Chicken is simmered in a creamy spinach sauce.  Sounds exotic?  Don't worry, it is super easy to make. This curry is full of flavor and loaded with nutrients.  You will always find some version of this curry in any Indian restaurant and is a popular one to order.

    “Saag” is basically a Punjabi term used for leafy green preparations.  These could be make with spinach, mustard greens, chard, etc.  In this Chicken Saag, I used spinach, but feel free to use other greens that you like.  This curry is a healthy way to incorporate leafy greens in a kids meal.  My daughter loves everything saag, so I make multiple versions of it - Palak Paneer,  Saag Paneer  and Saag Aloo with mustard greens and Vegan Palak Tofu.

    How to make Chicken Saag in Pressure Cooker?

    This is a very quick, one-pot recipe.  Start the instant pot and add in the oil, cumin, ginger and garlic.  Then add in the chopped onions and sauté for a few minutes.  The ingredients can be cut into large pieces as we are going to blend them later.  

    Add the spices and stir them with the onions. Add water and deglaze the pot (important for newer versions of instant pot).  Then add in the spinach leaves and place the chicken on top of the spinach leaves.  Cook on manual or high pressure for 8 minutes.

    steps to make palak chicken in instant pot

    When the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually.  Remove the chicken pieces on the top and keep aside.  Then use the immersion blender to grind the ingredients in the pot to a smooth paste.  

    You can also use a normal blender to grind and then transfer the saag back to the instant pot.  If needed, cut the chicken pieces to the desired size and transfer them back to the saag in the pot.

    Steps to make chicken saag in instant pot

    Simmer for a few minutes so the chicken is mixed well with the greens.  Use a glass lid when simmering as there could be some splutters when spinach boils.  Chicken Saag is ready to be enjoyed with naan or rice.

    Chicken Saag Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    Enjoy the goodness of spinach and chicken in this hearty and healthy recipe.  Give this recipe a try and I am sure you are going to love it as much as we do!

    If you are looking for more Instant Pot Chicken Curry Recipes, check out these -

    • Chicken Korma
    • Keema Matar
    • Chicken Chettinad
    • Mom's Chicken Curry
    Tried this recipe?Give a rating by clicking the ★ below
    Chicken Saag in a copper kadhai on a wooden table

    Instant Pot Chicken Saag Recipe (Pressure Cooker)

    Meeta Arora
    This one-pot Chicken curry with spinach is one of the delicious north Indian dish.  Chicken simmered in a creamy spinach sauce, makes it a nutritious dish for all.
    4.72 from 89 votes
    Print Save Saved! Pin
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 327
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: North Indian
    Diet: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Low Carb, Nut-free, Paleo
    Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
    Prep Time: 5 mins
    Cook Time: 20 mins
    Total Time: 25 mins

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 10 ounces Spinach (Palak)
    • 1 lb Chicken thighs boneless, cut into 2-3 pieces
    • 1 tablespoon Oil
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
    • 1" inch Ginger chopped
    • 6 cloves Garlic
    • 2 Onion medium sized, cut into pieces
    • ¼ cup Water

    Spices

    • ¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
    • ½ teaspoon Cayenne or Red chili powder
    • 2 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode and heat oil in it. Add cumin seeds and saute for 30 seconds
    • Add the cut onions, ginger and garlic.  Saute for couple of minutes. Add the spices and stir well. Add water and deglaze the pot.
    • Add the spinach and carefully place the chicken pieces on top of the spinach.  Press CANCEL and close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position.
    • Press MANUAL or Pressure Cook mode for 8 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, do a quick pressure release.  PRESS Cancel. 
    • Open the lid, remove the chicken pieces and set aside.  Blend the spinach and other ingredients to a creamy texture preferably using an immersion blender.  
    • If needed, cut the chicken into smaller pieces and then add it back to the spinach curry.  
    • Press SAUTE and give the curry a quick boil.  This could splutter out, so cover with a lid. 
    • Chicken Saag is ready.  Enjoy with naan, roti or rice. 

    Notes

    • If you don't have an immersion blender, you could transfer the ingredients to a regular blender, blend to a smooth paste and then transfer them back in the instant pot insert.  
    • I used spinach in this recipe.  However I have made this using spinach and chard or spinach and mustard greens, and they come out great. 
    • If the chicken is not well cooked, then boil for a bit longer in step 7.
    • If using chicken breast, cut into 2-3 pieces and pressure cook for 6 minutes. 
     

    Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 21gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 732mgPotassium: 726mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 6810IUVitamin C: 25.7mgCalcium: 100mgIron: 3.1mg
    Keyword easy, Healthy, instant pot, pressure cooker
    Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @PipingPotCurry or #pipingpotcurry

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    3.2K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Saket says

      April 29, 2022 at 10:07 am

      Can we use ghee instead of oil?

      Reply
      • Meeta Arora says

        May 22, 2022 at 8:31 pm

        Hi Saket - Sure, you can use use to make the saag. Hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    2. Wait Up says

      February 11, 2022 at 10:25 pm

      Great recipe. I used Costco boneless/skinless thighs (2 of 6 = 2+ lbs) an 4/5 power greens and proportional spice increases. Added pot-in-pot basmati. I added almond butter prior to immersion blender. Great meal with leftovers. Next ice I'll add m so color doesn't go from green to......

      Reply
      • wait up says

        February 11, 2022 at 10:26 pm

        Next time I will add lime.......

        Reply
        • Meeta Arora says

          February 12, 2022 at 9:20 pm

          Hello - So glad to hear you enjoyed the saag. Thank you for sharing back your feedback!

    3. Gerhard says

      January 22, 2022 at 12:25 pm

      The flavor seemed a bit off. I followed the recipe carefully. Maybe it should use a garam masalla spice mix rather than constructing the seasoning from scratch? IDK. I may try adding some tomato paste and yogurt and see if that improves the flavor. Also -- for a short time my Instant Pot was showing the dreaded "burn" status, so maybe a bit more liquid.

      Reply
      • Meeta Arora says

        February 11, 2022 at 10:15 pm

        Hello Gerhard - Sorry to hear you did not enjoy the flavor of the chicken saag. Typically Garam Masala is added in addition to the basic spices. So feel free to add that at the end to any curry to taste. You can certainly add some tomato paste to this saag too. Cream or cashew cream can be added at the end to make it creamy.

        Reply
    4. Michelle Segal says

      October 27, 2021 at 12:47 pm

      I would like to double the amount of spinach. Would you recommend doubling the amount of spices too?

      Reply
      • Meeta Arora says

        November 09, 2021 at 2:03 pm

        Hi Michelle - I would do 1.5x the spices if you are doubling on the spinach. If you are adding more chicken as well, then do 2x. Hope you enjoy the curry!

        Reply
    5. Sayani Ghosh says

      May 20, 2021 at 10:20 am

      Hi Meeta,

      The recipe looks delish!
      I do not have an insta-pot. Should I follow the same steps for regular pressure cooker cooking or is there a modified version of this recipe specially for regular pressure cookers?

      Thanks
      Sayani

      Reply
      • Meeta Arora says

        June 10, 2021 at 2:41 pm

        Hi Sayani - Thank you. You can follow same steps in a stovetop pressure cooker. But add 1/2 cup water and cook for about 2 whistles on medium-high heat. Hope you enjoy the chicken saag.

        Reply
    6. KCL says

      April 24, 2021 at 5:02 pm

      Delicious! Making again and doubling recipe.

      Reply
      • Piping Pot Curry says

        April 26, 2021 at 8:32 am

        Hi - So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing it 🙂

        Reply
    7. KCL says

      March 13, 2021 at 6:16 pm

      This was absolutely delicious! Not sure why I waited so long to make this at home?! Super easy! Thank you

      Reply
      • Piping Pot Curry says

        March 16, 2021 at 1:55 pm

        Hi - So happy to hear that. 🙂

        Reply
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