Slow Cooker Chicken with Spinach and Kale

This recipe is based on Slow Cooker Chicken Saag Curry.  I have modified it to better match the packaging sizes available in local grocery stores.  Mainly, the spinach, kale, and chicken amounts are increased.  I left the spice amounts at the original values, because we were trying to feed this to our son who was around 2 years old at the time.  You might prefer it with more spice.  After my modifications, it is far enough from any Chicken Saag I have ever had at a restaurant that I translated the name to English to avoid unmet expectations.

I am still experimenting to get the right balance of spinach, kale, and yogurt, but posting here, in case the scrap of paper I wrote the recipe on gets lost.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Ghee or Oil
1 Red Onion, Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Crushed and Chopped
1 Tbsp Grated Ginger
1 tsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Turmeric
Salt to Taste
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 Cup Crushed Tomatoes
1.25 lb (roughly) Chopped Chicken Breasts (about 6)
16 oz Frozen Spinach (1 bag)
8 oz Frozen Kale (1/2 bag)
(optional) 1 Cup Plain Yogurt

Directions

  1. Brown onion, garlic, and ginger in ghee or oil.  Thaw greens in microwave.
  2. Add spices, except garam masala.  Stir fry several for several minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil.
  4. Add garam masala.
  5. Add greens.  They need not be fully thawed, but should not be completely frozen.  If they have been thawing since you started Step 1, above, they should be fine.  Stir to mix.
  6. Pour spinach mixture into slow cooker, or refrigerate over night.
  7. Add chopped chicken to slow cooker and combine.
  8. Cook on low 6-7 hours.
  9. Add garam masala to taste 30 minutes before end of cooking.
  10. (optional) 30 minutes or less before serving remove from heat and mix in yogurt.  If the yogurt gets too hot or too hot to fast, it will curdle.  Try adding gradually adding a small amount of liquid at a time from the pot to the yogurt to bring it up to temperature, then pour the yogurt into the pot.  If you plan to reheat some later, keep the saved part separate and add yogurt to it after reheating.  (The yogurt will tolerate some time in the microwave, but not too much.)  Experimentation is required to determine precise limits for this step.
  11. Serve with rice, poppadoms, or naan.

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