Spinach Chicken

So, this is my first recipe for anyone who reads this blog. Spinach Chicken is one of the recipes that I invented, (at least I like to believe that I did, since no one I know has ever cooked this!) and I must say, I'm pretty proud of it. In fact, this is my go-to recipe, every time I have to prove my cooking prowess to someone, and the result has never really failed me.

I've always loved Palang Paneer, and I've always loved meat. So, I decided to kind of combine the two, to make this recipe. My Dad loved it so much, he keeps cooking it, and tells everyone he started this recipe in our house!

So, here's the deal: I'm gonna tell you how to cook it, my style. The ingredients you'll need for this recipe are:
1.Spinach
2.Chicken                                                                                 

3.Onion paste
4.Garlic paste
5.Ginger paste
6. Curd
7.Coriander powder
8.Cumin powder
9.Tomatoes (optional)
10.Lime/ Lemon juice
11.Sugar
12.Salt
13.Green chili
14.Red chili powder (spicy variant)
15.Garam Masala/ tandoor masala (optional)
16,Cinnamon Powder (optional)
17.Ghee/ oil

I;ll give no specific measurements. See, I don't think that apart from baking, anything really needs a strict recipe. I've always cooked from the heart, and put in what I felt right by just looking, or tasting. So, you're on your own in that one.

Marinate the chicken. There are two ways I marinate chicken. One is the Dry Rubbing of Chicken with Spices.  The other one is the regular, wet marination.

In a pan, heat up some ghee on high heat. Once it's is melted and starts to lightly smell, put in garlic, ginger and onion pastes, and stir for about a minute or so. Add a little sugar, coriander and cumin powders and a little salt, and stir again. Once it all starts to take a nice brown colour, add your chicken pieces, now. You can either fry the chicken in a separate pan first for the crispiness, or put the marinated chicken into the ghee.

Even if you don't fry it separately, the light browning should take place on the skin. Just remember to shake off the excess marinade while cooking. Now, stir and cook the chicken till the pink, fleshy tinge goes away. Make sure that the ghee is hot enough before you put in the pieces, or they will stick to the bottom of the pan. If it does, don't fight with the turner. Just let it cook for a while, and it will come off soon enough.

In another bowl, put some water and let it start to boil, to boil the spinach in, later. Chop the spinach leaves, leaving out the stem, and wash them. Set all this aside. Keep stirring your chicken every once in a while.

Once all the sides of the pieces are brownish, add all the marinade. If you're using dry marinade, then add a few spoonfuls of whipped curd, lime/lemon juice and paste of deseeded red chili soaked in water. You can also put in some the other ingredients of any of my wet marinades. Add chopped tomatoes. Stir for some more time to coat the chicken. Now, ladle in some of the boiling water into the chicken, stir it, and let it simmer on low heat for a short while. Meanwhile, start boiling the spinach leaves. But, don't over-cook the spinach and make it look like a black mess. Just make sure it still looks green when you strain it.

Blend it smooth in a food processor. In case you don't have one at hand, (like mine needs servicing), chop the leaves really fine before boiling it. Add this to the chicken. Turn up the heat, and stir WELL. Spinach is an anti-social vegetable that does not let the other spices at the bottom to simply blend in. You have to really dig in and stir well. Add in water every once in a while, if the spinach paste starts to look too dry. Add a little salt and green chili.

Add some dry-roasted cumin, some garam masala/ tandoor masala and a little ghee. At this point, there should be enough gravy to cover the chicken pieces completely. Add just a little more water if needed, stir it quickly, and cover with a lid. Leave it to simmer for about 10 mins on low heat, and your lovely green Spinach Chicken ready!

A few tips:

You can use coriander instead of spinach, but you'll need shed loads of coriander. Of course, you can check out my Coriander-Pea-Tomato Chicken recipe, as well.

Under-seasoned, boiled spinach is the reason kids hate it glorious veggie so much. So, don't forget to be generous about the spices and salt. Ad salt in batches.

You can also put in a little cream into the recipe. (YUM YUM)!  

I generally don't put other herbs in this, as spinach's flavor is strong and overpowering.

I also use chicken Meatballs in this recipe.

Go ahead and try ready-made pastes available. Del Monte even has canned spinach, but, I'm not sure if it's available in India.

Well, that's it I guess. Do try this, and let me know. Feel free to give suggestions to make this recipe better!