My kids call this “Green butter chicken” and they absolutely love it. It’s fairly close to a traditional saagwala except it’s cooked off the bone and I make it a bit sweeter and with more cream.

Ingredients

2 bunches spinach

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 stick cinnamon

6 cardamom pods

1 tsp cloves

1 onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder (optional, or to taste)

1 tbsp garam masala

3 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 kg Lilydale free range chicken thigh fillets, cut into 5cm pieces

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

¼ tsp grated nutmeg

150 ml thickened cream

25 g butter

Method

Wash the spinach well, trim and discard the root portion and place the leaves and stems into a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over the spinach and leave for 1 minute. Drain, then puree the spinach in a blender.

Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the oil and the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and onion. Fry the onion for about 3 minutes until it starts to brown, add the garlic and ginger and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli and garam masala, stir and then immediately add the tomatoes. Cook for about 2 minutes until the tomatoes soften, then add the chicken. Fry the chicken for 3 minutes, then add the salt, sugar and stir in the spinach puree. Cook uncovered for about 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, then add the nutmeg and stir through the cream. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary, then stir through the butter and serve.