This slow cooker chicken saag curry is a mild, spinach-packed curry cooked in a lightly spiced tomato-based sauce. Unlike creamy curries such as korma or pasanda, saag focuses on leafy greens, making it a lighter but still satisfying option for curry night.
The slow cooker gently softens the chicken and allows the spinach to melt into the sauce, creating a vibrant, family-friendly curry that’s easy to prepare and perfect for busy days.
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What Defines a Saag Curry
Saag simply means leafy greens. Traditionally this would include mustard greens, but spinach is commonly used in home-style cooking.
In this recipe, spinach is stirred into a tomato-based sauce, giving the curry its distinctive green colour and fresh flavour without relying on cream or coconut milk.
Flavour profile of saag curry:
- Mild and gently spiced
- Fresh spinach flavour
- Tomato-based sauce
- Not creamy or coconut-based
Why Spinach is Perfect in Slow Cooker Chicken Saag Curry
We love spinach and I was looking for a curry without coconut milk so it would be quite light and low in calories.
Slow cooker chicken and spinach curry – saag curry – seemed to tick all the boxes.
Spinach (saag) is a great ingredient to include in a curry. This is a delicious, fairly mild curry (as I made it) which is suitable for all the family.
Making it in the slow cooker lets the flavours develop and mix together during the long cooking time, which is ideal for a curry.
The spinach cooks down in this recipe as you can see from the photos. When you first add them in the spinach leaves nearly fill the crockpot!
Then after cooking the spinach has wilted down and cooked down in the sauce so it almost disappears.
I adapted this recipe from one I found on the Mamta’s Kitchen site here.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe. Grab the quantities from the recipe card at the end of the page!
- olive oil
- onion
- spinach – The key ingredient in saag curries. I use fresh spinach normally but frozen also works. If using frozen spinach you may wish to add less passata to reduce the liquid.
- passata – Forms the tomato base of the sauce. Passata is sieved tomatoes, and it comes in a glass jar or carton here in the UK. It has a smooth texture. You can easily switch it for tinned chopped tomatoes.
- garlic – either garlic paste in a tube or fresh work well.
- ginger – either “lazy” jarred ginger or ginger paste, or fresh.
- chilli powder – I tend to use hot, you may want to use mild chilli powder if feeding small children or those who prefer a mild curry.
- ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala – the main spices you will use in this curry, alongside the chilli powder.
- salt – salt is quite an important ingredient in curries to balance the spices.
- chicken – either chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs work well. Thighs hold up better to long slow cooking (breasts can go dry and stringy if cooked too long).
Method
- In a pan, heat the oil and brown the onion, garlic and ginger gently for a couple of minutes.
- When browned, add the spices except the garam masala and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add the passata.
- Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Add the garam masala.
- Add the spinach and let it wilt. Stir to mix it in once wilted and soft.
- Pour the sauce mixture into your slow cooker.
- Add the chopped chicken and combine with the sauce.
- Cook on low for 6-7 hours (or on high for 3-4).
- Half an hour before the end, taste and add more garam masala if needed.
- If you like, pull the chicken apart (using two forks) and stir into the sauce. This helps make the chicken go a bit further.
- Serve with rice, poppadoms or naan bread and raita.
Alternative method if you are short on time (no pre-cooking):
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger and all the spices in the slow cooker pot.
- Add the passata and mix to combine.
- Add the chicken and mix it into the sauce.
- Place the spinach on top.
- Then follow from point 8 above.
Recipe Tips
- I also regularly make this recipe with diced chicken thigh instead of chicken breasts, and usually make it without browning the onions off first, and it works just as well if you throw the ingredients straight into the pot.
This makes it perfect for when you are short on time! - Chicken breasts can go a little dry if you cook them for too long in the slow cooker. You should aim to cook chicken breast for only 5-6 hours on low (or 3-4 on high).
If you need to leave the dish cooking longer than that while you are out at work, chicken thigh meat might well be a better choice. Being dark meat, it is more juicy and has more fat, so with longer cooking it will not dry out in the same way.
Healthy Chicken & Spinach Curry
This saag curry recipe is great too if you are eating healthily as it is based on simple healthy ingredients. Simple to make and low in fat and great for a high protein low carb option and eating clean!
Serve with cauliflower rice for a low carb option, or with steamed basmati rice and cucumber raita.
Also suitable for meal prep for the week ahead because the flavours develop.
Looking for a creamier curry than this easy slow cooker chicken curry? Try my Slow Cooker Chicken Pasanda, a mild and rich curry with a luxurious coconut milk and ground almond sauce.
Storage
Leftover curry should be cooled quickly then stored in a sealed dish in the fridge. It will keep for up to 3 days.
Freezing
Freeze this dish for up to a month in a lidded container.
FAQ
Yes, you do not need to brown your chicken first before adding to your dish, it will cook in the slow cooker.
It takes 5-6 hours on low or 3-4 on high to cook diced chicken breast in the slow cooker. Try not to cook for longer or it may go dry.
Saag curry is traditionally a tomato based recipe so saag curries are not heavily creamy, but if you prefer a richer sauce you can stir in a small splash of cream or coconut milk at the end. If you’re specifically looking for a creamy curry, my slow cooker chicken pasanda is a better choice.
Related
More slow cooker curries to try!
Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Saag Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp lazy ginger or 1 cm piece of real ginger grated
- 0.5-1 tsp (½-1 tsp) hot chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- grinding of salt or more to your taste
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 500 g (2 cups) passata
- 4 chopped chicken breasts or a pack of diced chicken thigh
- 200 g (6 cups) spinach chopped if you like (I leave mine whole)
Equipment
Instructions
- Brown onion, garlic and ginger in the oil.1 tbsp oil, 1 onion chopped, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp lazy ginger
- When browned, add the spices except the garam masala and stir fry for a couple of minutes.0.5-1 tsp hot chilli powder, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp turmeric, grinding of salt or more to your taste
- Add the passata.500 g passata
- Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Add the garam masala.1 tsp garam masala
- Add the spinach and let it wilt. Stir to mix it in once wilted.200 g spinach
- Pour the mixture into your slow cooker.
- Add the chopped chicken and combine with the sauce.4 chopped chicken breasts
- Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
- Half an hour before the end, taste and add more garam masala if needed.
- If you like, pull the chicken apart and stir into the sauce. This helps make the chicken go a bit further I find.
- Serve with rice, poppadoms or naan bread and raita.
Notes
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger and all the spices into the slow cooker pot.
- Add the passata and mix to combine.
- Add the chicken and mix it into the sauce.
- Place the spinach on top.
- Then follow from point 8 above.
Ann Roberts says
I’ve made this chicken curry saag a few times now, usually when I’m going to be out for the day, and it’s great to come home to a ready cooked tasty chicken dinner. It’s quite easy to prepare as long as you have all the ingredients ready before you start then just put your slow cooker on and it’s ready to go. We love it and usually serve with rice
bakingqueen74 says
That’s great Ann, thanks very much for leaving your review!
Meg says
Can I make and freeze this?
bakingqueen74 says
Hi Meg, yes you can. I’ve just added storage and freezing sections to the post to provide this information. I normally freeze portions for up to a month in a lidded container.
Mikey says
Timing can be everything sometimes, and when I cooked this recipe, that was certainly the case. I quickly prepared it in the morning before church, which would be a long session; the plan was to have dinner in the evening. Lo and behold, when I was back home in the late afternoon, I got a last-minute message from work to come in and help.
With my take on the recipe, I put in some fenugreek seeds. Those things help with any Indian cooking, getting that slight hint that much of the takeaway has but may lack from home cooking. It was good to return to, just a bit spicy but not inedible or needing the milk to stop the burn. I always ponder if I will get sick of cooking curries at home, but each new one rectifies that the answer is “no”.
Julie says
Made this today, it was amazing, lovely flavours will definitely be making it again .
bakingqueen74 says
Brilliant, thanks for leaving your review Julie.
Dee says
Can could this dish on high and how long the chicken and spinach curry.
bakingqueen74 says
Yes you could certainly cook it on high too. Usual times for chicken are 3-4 hours on high. Check it is fully cooked through before serving as all slow cookers vary.
Sunny says
How many grams of chicken do you use?
bakingqueen74 says
4 chicken breasts which is approx 600 g usually. I hope that helps!
Clare Grant says
One of our favourites, delicious and so easy!
bakingqueen74 says
Marvellous Clare!
Jeanette says
I want to add potatoes for a saag aloo how do I do that in slow cooker thanks
bakingqueen74 says
I find potatoes tricky to get right in the slow cooker to be truthful so if you are wanting to get rid of the chicken and replace with potatoes I would make this in a pan instead.
Gary says
Could I use chopped tomatoes instead of passata??
bakingqueen74 says
Yes this would work too though could be a bit runnier
Heloise says
Thanks for the recipe, can you do a recipe on the curry base? please
Angela says
Do you chop up the garlic at all?
bakingqueen74 says
Yes dice it finely!
Mel says
Absolutely Fab curry, so easy so tasty
Stephanie says
This curry has turned out so well. It not just tastes amazing but also has a beautiful color which we can alter by changing the spices.
Stephanie
Sarah says
Thank you very much for your reply….. I’m making this today, very excited to eat it later. Will post pics and let you know how it went
Gwen Forster says
Made this for dinner yesterday and it was amazing. The only thing I changed was that I put the spinach in right at the end so it just had time to wilt before serving.
Sarah says
Hi….. could I add a cream to this?
bakingqueen74 says
Hi Sarah, yes you could stir in some cream just before serving. Don’t add it during cooking though or it will split. Yum!
Natalie says
I just ate chicken curry with potatoes and carrots but looking at this makes me want to cook curry again xD Pin it! Gonna try for sure 🙂 🙂