Chicken Palak
چکن پالک
Stovetop chicken-and-spinach curry
Tender chicken simmered in a Pakistani-style onion-tomato gravy with chopped spinach. The spinach is added after the chicken starts cooking so it retains some green character.
Start cooking ↓ Ingredients
Excludes 5 min resting. One tablespoon = 15 ml; one teaspoon = 5 ml.
About Chicken Palak
Tender chicken simmered in a Pakistani-style onion-tomato gravy with chopped spinach. The spinach is added after the chicken starts cooking so it retains some green character.
Make it work for your kitchen
Also known as Palak Chicken, Spinach Chicken Curry, Murgh Palak.
Original quantities serve 4. Cooking times, pan size and frying-oil depth do not scale, cook in extra batches instead.
Before you start
Before you start
Measure all ingredients and keep raw chicken on a separate cutting board. Wash produce; do not wash raw chicken. Prepare a food thermometer before heating the pan.
Step-by-step cooking method
1 Wash and cut safely
Wash fresh spinach, washed, trimmed and drained in several changes of water to remove grit, drain well, and chop coarsely. Keep raw boneless chicken thigh, 3 cm pieces separate and do not wash raw poultry.
2 Build the masala
Warm neutral cooking oil in a heavy pot, soften and lightly brown finely sliced onion for 8–10 minutes, stir in ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute, then cook chopped ripe tomato under a lid 5–6 minutes.
3 Coat and cook chicken
Stir cumin seeds, ground coriander, ground turmeric, ground red chilli and fine salt into the wet masala. Add raw boneless chicken thigh, 3 cm pieces, stir 6–8 minutes until coated but not yet safely cooked.
4 Simmer chicken
Add about 150 ml FROM the total hot water, total measured addition, cover and simmer 10–12 minutes. Check liquid level; the remaining 70 ml stays reserved from the listed quantity.
5 Wilt spinach and finish cooking
Add fresh spinach, washed, trimmed and drained in batches, stirring as it collapses, and the reserved water only if needed. Simmer uncovered around 8–12 minutes until thickest chicken pieces reach 74°C (165°F) and greens are fully wilted.
6 Season and rest
Stir in garam masala, optional finely chopped green chilli and fresh coriander leaves. Reduce excess water briefly if needed, then rest 5 minutes off the heat.
Chef’s tips
- Drain washed spinach well to prevent a watery curry.
- Do not fry delicate spinach at high heat for a long time.
- If using mature spinach, remove coarse stems before weighing the edible portion.
Common mistakes & quick fixes
- Gritty sauce
- Wash and lift leaves out of wash water; repeat until no sediment remains.
- Watery spinach gravy
- Drain leaves thoroughly and simmer uncovered at the end.
- Chicken not at safe temperature
- Check the thickest piece away from the pan base; 74°C is required.
Variations & serving ideas
Variation: Use baby spinach; its stems are more tender, but adjust cooking by observed doneness.
Variation: Optional green chilli changes heat without changing the core method.
Variation: Avoid adding paneer unless intentionally creating a different variant and recalculating nutrition.
Perfect result check
| Check | All spinach is wilted, tender and free of grit. |
|---|---|
| Check | Chicken measures at least 74°C (165°F). |
| Check | Sauce is moist but does not pool excessively. |
Storage & reheating
| Fridge | Move portions promptly to shallow containers, refrigerate at 4°C or below within 2 hours (1 hour if ambient temperature exceeds 32°C). | |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge | 3–4 days | Use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days or freeze promptly for longer storage. Reheat leftovers to 74°C (165°F); texture may change. |
Nutrition information
Nutrition estimate in preparation, we only publish figures we can calculate transparently.
Nutrition estimate in preparation.
Know when to change the heat
| Stage | Heat | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| M | M | |
| e | e | |
| d | d | |
| i | i | |
| u | u | |
| m | m | |
| f | f | |
| o | o | |
| r | r | |
| a | a | |
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| o | o | |
| m | m | |
| a | a | |
| t | t | |
| i | i | |
| c | c | |
| s | s | |
| m | m | |
| e | e | |
| d | d | |
| i | i | |
| u | u | |
| m | m | |
| - | - | |
| h | h | |
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| g | g | |
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| f | f | |
| o | o | |
| r | r | |
| b | b | |
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| r | r | |
| y | y | |
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| g | g | |
| l | l | |
| o | o | |
| w | w | |
| f | f | |
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| r | r | |
| s | s | |
| i | i | |
| m | m | |
| m | m | |
| e | e | |
| r | r | |
| i | i | |
| n | n | |
| g | g | |
| w | w | |
| h | h | |
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| p | p | |
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| U | U | |
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| 7 | 7 | |
| 4 | 4 | |
| ° | ° | |
| C | C | |
| i | i | |
| n | n | |
| t | t | |
| h | h | |
| i | i | |
| c | c | |
| k | k | |
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| s | s | |
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| c | c | |
| h | h | |
| i | i | |
| c | c | |
| k | k | |
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| n | n | |
| p | p | |
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| c | c | |
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| . | . |
Helpful answers before you cook
How is nutrition calculated?
Full-batch scaling alone does not change per-person estimates.
Can frozen spinach replace fresh?
Potentially; thaw and drain, weigh the prepared spinach and re-test moisture and timing.
Why does my curry look watery?
Spinach releases liquid; leave uncovered briefly after it has wilted.
