Slow Cooker Chicken Saag
2x the delicious servings!
- Milk
We all know the slow cooker is a game-changer for big-batch, make-ahead, easy-peasy meals. Case in point? This savory, Indian-inspired chicken and spinach curry that’s jam-packed with ginger, onion, garlic, and warming garam masala spice blend, and swirled with crème fraîche for an extra-luscious texture. Serve it over a bowl of fluffy rice with a bright squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and watch your hungry crowd devour it—or save it for yourself and eat like a royal all week long! This recipe is double the typical servings, providing 4 servings and 8 servings for a 2 person and 4 person box respectively.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon
Garam Masala
2 tablespoon
Cornstarch
2 unit
Tomato Paste
1 unit
Onion
5 ounce
Spinach
6 tablespoon
Crème Fraîche
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Cumin
3 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 unit
Lemon
1 teaspoon
Turmeric
2 clove
Garlic
20 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
1.5 cup
White Rice
2 thumb
Ginger
Not included in your delivery
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Peel and mince or grate ginger. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Quarter lemon. Place lemon wedges in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until ready to serve.
• In a medium microwave-safe bowl, whisk together tomato paste, cornstarch, and ¼ cup water (½ cup for 8 servings). Microwave until warmed through, 30 seconds.
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; cut into 1-inch pieces. Season with half the cumin, half the turmeric, half the garam masala, salt, and pepper. • Place chicken in an even layer in a 5-to 6-quart slow cooker. Add stock concentrates, tomato mixture, ginger, garlic, onion, remaining cumin, remaining turmeric, remaining garam masala, and 2 tsp sugar (4 tsp for 8 servings); stir to combine. • Cover and cook on high until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender, 1½ hours (you’ll add more to the slow cooker then).
• Gently tear spinach with your hands and add to slow cooker; stir to combine. • Cover slow cooker; cook on high until spinach is wilted, 25-30 minutes.
• While spinach cooks, in a large pot, combine rice, 2¼ cups water (4¼ cups for 8 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• Stir crème fraîche into chicken saag until combined. • Divide rice between shallow bowls and top with chicken saag. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Some found it bland and lacking authentic Indian taste; others enjoyed the rich, complex flavors. Consider doubling the spices for more punch.
- Ease of prep: Many appreciated the slow cooker convenience, but some felt the prep time was longer than expected for a "quick" meal.
- Suggestions: Try sautéing onions first, adding more liquid to prevent dryness, and using chicken thighs for tenderness. Consider adding extra veggies or a crunchy element.
- Leftovers: Several mentioned it made plenty for leftovers, with some noting it tasted even better the next day 🍲.
- Texture: A few found the chicken dry; cooking on medium heat or reducing time might help keep it juicy and tender.
Reviews from our home cooks
Very good! I love India-inspired foods & this was great, especially as it was slow cooked & I didn't have to do anything once all the ingredients were in the cooker. However, I feel jasmine rice would have been a better option and only one packet of rice would have been more than sufficient for this meal for the saag to really stand out.
I thought this was easy to prepare and I enjoyed the rich, Indian flavors! This recipe was rated as difficult, but I think it just took a little time and pre-planning, not a quick fix meal. I meal prep for a few days at a time and this was an excellent way to do this and it was healthy. I would enjoy seeing more meals like this in the future
This meal was hearty and very filling. The white rice was a great complement to the chicken saag and the spices were very flavorful. The slow cooker cooked the chicken perfectly, juicy and tender and not burnt.
I like this recipe; however, instead of using a slow cooker, I just cooked it in a regular pan on the stove. I added more water because without any water, it didn't really taste like a curry, and I prefer my curry creamier. To speed things up, I would cook the chicken first in the frying pan and then add the rest of the ingredients altogether at the end. The recipe came out really good, though, so I will order it again but not waste my time using the slow cooker.
Great meal. I don't mind these dishes that take a little longer to cook, but are still pretty quick to set up. Very tasty, and reminded us both of the years we spent in India, in terms of flavor.
Very tasty, I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I will say it was a little heavy on spinach in my opinion. A little more chicken and less spinach would have been a great balance for me.
This was one of the best recipes we have received from hello fresh!! I added extra cumin and garam masala, but everything was fresh and yummy!
Very unlike anything I've ever made. Very easy to make and clean up after, very delicious and plenty of food for 4.
This was so easy!!!! Even though the family didn't think the flavor was the normal amazing standard of Hello Fresh recipes, I don't care it's worth 5 stars because I was able to use this for a night I wouldn't be home and I knew my family was still being fed.
I ordered this because I have been asking for slow cooker recipes for some time from you over at Help Fresh. I was disappointed that you guys think under 2 hours cooking time is "slow cooking." That is not the type of dish I am looking to use my slow cooker with. Regardless of having to babysit this dish rather than put it on in the morning and come home after work to cooked food, it was a good meal. Real slow cooker dishes next time.
