One of the very first recipes I ever posted to Everyday Maven was this Slow Cooker Vegan Saag Paneer Recipe. I’ve since played around with it and made it with shrimp, chicken and of course – real Paneer cheese.
I even tried pork, but wasn’t crazy about the results.
My favorite variation of the Saag Paneer is this Chicken Saag version. It is perfect for a mostly hands-off weeknight dinner, it’s filling, freezes well, super easy to make, has a healthy dose of greens in the dish and makes almost everyone in my family happy.
Plus, it’s naturally Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Whole30 and Low-Carb!
I like to serve it over Cauliflower Rice (or this Ginger Coconut Cauliflower Rice) to keep the carbs low but if you are looking for a “real” rice recipe, this foolproof Instant Pot Rice is so easy!
NOTES:
- This is intentionally MILD (you can thank my 5-year old for that). To add a bit more heat to this, add 1 or 2 dried chilies. Make sure to remove and discard them before pureeing the spinach mixture!
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the spinach mixture to a food processor or blender to puree.
- I used a 6.5 Quart Slow Cooker for this recipe.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Slow Cooker Chicken Saag. Paleo Chicken Saag. Dairy Free Chicken Saag.
- 4 to 5 large cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 inches fresh ginger root finely chopped
- 15 ounce can of organic tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt separated into 1 teaspoon and 1/2 teaspoon
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 13.5 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
- 2 16 ounce bags frozen chopped or whole leaf spinach
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- fresh cilantro for garnish (optional) chopped
- cooked white rice or
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Add all ingredients EXCEPT for chicken, cilantro and 1/2 teaspoon salt to slow cooker.
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Set to low and cook for 4 hours.
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At about 2 hours and 30 minutes, use a handheld immersion blender to puree mixture until creamy.
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Next, add in cubed chicken, additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt and continue cooking covered for remaining 1 1/2 hours.
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Serve over white rice or cauliflower rice topped with chopped cilantro and Enjoy!
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Keeps well in the fridge for leftovers and freezes great
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Could you make this lamb? How would you adjust the cooking times?
Hi Kate,
I’ve never made this with lamb. Would you be using boneless or bone-on?
Bone on
Hey!
What would you suggest if I do not have an immersion blender?
Do you have a blender or a food processor? Either would work, you’ll just have to let it cool a little bit and do it in batches!
I absolutely love this recipe. I’ve tweaked it some, to fit my preferences.
A) 1 teaspoon cayenne
B) 2 jalapenos, chopped
C) a dash of crushed red pepper flakes
D) grill the chicken separately, then add it.
I am so thankful to find a Whole 30 recipe for Saag. Thank you very much. Now, need other Indian dishes that are Whole 30 compliant.
Hi Greg! Love how spicy you made it – that sounds soooo good!
Do you continue cooking the chicken on low?
Could you do two hours on high and use the immersion blender an hour into the cooking?
Hi Olive,
I’ve never tried it but I would be concerned the greens might burn and get bitter. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
The garam masala flavor overwhelmed the dish. I would reduce it to 1 teaspoon if I were to make the dish again. I spent $12 on fresh, organic spinach and I hate to throw the dish out, but I don’t know how to tone down the garam masala.
Hi Susan,
You could try adding more coconut milk to mellow it out. That sounds so frustrating! One thing though is that I call for frozen chopped or leaf spinach and that would be a much larger volume than a lb of fresh spinach. It probably impacted the sauce since there was so much less spinach. If you do decide to give this another go, try it with frozen organic spinach (it’s a lot cheaper too!). Have a good weekend 🙂
Ohhh my goodness gracious. Slow cookers are the best thing ever and this looks so delicious!! My boyfriend would love this. This is happening very soon.
I’d spice mine up a bit (I’m older than 5!) but otherwise make it exactly as you did. This is great! Thanks.
Me too John – I like everything spicy!
I cannot believe your son is already 5 years old, how time flies.
This sure is a healthy dish and so full of flavor.
Seriously Norma – I can’t either! He will be starting Kindergarten this fall. Why does it go so fast?!
Wow this looks amazing! What do you think about substituting in fat free coconut milk? I have a recipe for it that uses a fat free half-and-half, coconut extract, sugar and corn starch. Thanks!
Hi Kristina, I am not sure – I have never tried that combo and the regular milk may coddle if it cooks too long.
Hmm good point…..just trying to make this with less fat, I could always try lite coconut milk.
Yep! Hope it works out!