Delicious Indian spiced chicken with chickpeas and spinach, in a lightly creamy (with yogurt!) sauce. Serve with some Naan bread for a great meal.
This dish has lots of chickpeas for fibre and spinach, for vitamins and iron. I love the colours! The sauce is not overwhelmingly spicy. If you like a little heat with your Indian dishes, up the cayenne pepper, to taste. This dish uses yogurt for a bit of creaminess, which is added right at the end.
I used chicken legs for this dish. Chicken thighs or breasts would also work well, although cooking time will vary. I like bone-in/skin-on for the extra flavour, but since the chicken is braised, you could easily substitute boneless/skinless without worry of them becoming too dry. Again, cooking time to done may vary.
Ingredients
Instructions
Note
I don’t often cook chicken legs, but I was thought I’d give legs a go in this dish and they were really lovely. If you’re like me and you often pass them over at the store, you may want to give them a try, too :)
This dish has lots of chickpeas for fibre and spinach, for vitamins and iron. I love the colours! The sauce is not overwhelmingly spicy. If you like a little heat with your Indian dishes, up the cayenne pepper, to taste. This dish uses yogurt for a bit of creaminess, which is added right at the end.
I used chicken legs for this dish. Chicken thighs or breasts would also work well, although cooking time will vary. I like bone-in/skin-on for the extra flavour, but since the chicken is braised, you could easily substitute boneless/skinless without worry of them becoming too dry. Again, cooking time to done may vary.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3 bone-in/skin-on chicken legs (or 6 thighs/3 breasts)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. grated peeled ginger
- 2 tsp. coriander
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 2 Tsp. turmeric
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1-15oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 6-8 cups lightly packed baby spinach
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or flat-leafed parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. with rack in lower 1/3 of oven.
- Pan chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in an oven-safe pan (with a lid, such as a Dutch oven) on stove-top over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on both sides until golden and remove to a plate.
- Add butter and onions to pan (don't remove drippings unless excessive). Cook, stirring regularly, until onions are soft and golden brown, about 10 minutes. (Don't rush browning the onions, as cooking them to golden adds great flavour to the dish). Stir in garlic, ginger and spices. Cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Stir in chickpeas and 2 cups of broth. Return chicken to pan and any accumulated juices. Liquid should cover chicken by about 2/3. If not, add a bit more broth to top up. Bring liquid to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the pre-heated oven. Cook until chicken is fork-tender, about 45 minutes, depending on the cut of chicken you used.
- Remove from oven and transfer chicken to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. To hot liquid in pot, add spinach. Cover and let stand about 5 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Stir in yogurt. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste. (If sauce is not as thick as you'd like, mix a bit of the sauce with a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch to make a paste. Add a bit at a time to the warm sauce and stir until desired thickness). Return chicken to pot and warm over low heat (do not boil or yogurt may curdle).
- Transfer chicken to a serving platter and pour spinach and chickpea sauce over. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley.
Note
I don’t often cook chicken legs, but I was thought I’d give legs a go in this dish and they were really lovely. If you’re like me and you often pass them over at the store, you may want to give them a try, too :)
