Indians sure know how to add the perfect tinge of spice to green leafy vegetables and turn them into delicious curries. Saag is the name of the game! To understand this curry base better, we’re doing saag paneer vs saag chicken so that you can understand and enjoy saag in the best possible form in your meals.
These Indian dishes can be found in only the most authentic Indian restaurants as saag in Indian food is often seasonal and even regional. But once you start enjoying it, you’d have found the most enjoyable version of green leaves like spinach and mustard greens.
But before we delve into the chicken saag vs saag paneer comparison, you must know that both are quite similar, so a lot of it is going to be about paneer vs chicken. Saag preparation is almost the same. But wait, what is saag?
Understanding “Saag” in Saag Paneer vs Saag Chicken
Saag is a popular Indian curry from the region of Punjab, eaten as is or used as a sauce for other veggies or protein. In fact, it is quite popular in South Asia across Pakistan, Nepal, and Bhutan, among others.
Punjabi spice mixes add a layer of heat and bold flavor into this curry paste that sings through its protein as well. Punjabi Sarson ka saag (mustard green saag) is often eaten with Makki ki roti (corn flatbread) and rice.
Saag is prepared by first frying fresh spinach or frozen spinach leaves along with mustard leaves (and sometimes radish greens as well) with onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and cumin seeds. Then, the mixture is blended using a food processor or an immersion blender resulting in a smooth paste which is then spiced with a unique spice mix, and corn, palak, or paneer is added to it along with heaps of butter and heavy cream.
You can also add butter and heavy cream for a creamy texture and rich taste. Always use fresh baby spinach to avoid bitter-tasting gravy.
Saag paneer is often also confused with palak paneer. But palak paneer is made out of just spinach greens, while saag has other leafy veggies as well. But yes, some cultures also use palak paneer and saag paneer interchangeably.
The saag recipe remains the same or might vary slightly when talking about chicken saag (made with chicken pieces) and saag paneer (made with homemade paneer cubes or Indian cheese). Now, let us learn more about the similarities and differences between the two.
What Are The Similarities Between Chicken Saag vs Saag Paneer?
As we just saw, saag is made out of leafy greens, including mustard greens and spinach. Hence, it is jam-packed with nutrients such as calcium, fiber, and magnesium. Add a source of protein like paneer or chicken, and you definitely amp up the nutritional value.
While both chicken saag and saag paneer are healthy, there are various similarities like taste, origins, and culture associated with these curries. Find out all the similarities here:
Methods of preparation
Saag paneer vs saag chicken methods of preparation is quite similar to each other. While we blanch both spinach leaves and mustard greens or collard greens to prepare saag paneer, we often tend to skip the mustard greens (you can also use pureed spinach) when preparing saag chicken and end up calling it chicken palak or palak wala chicken.
Blend of spices
We used a blend of spices like turmeric, garam masala, red chili powder, and coriander powder to spice up a blend of fried and cooked leafy greens like mustard greens, a combination of spinach, or radish leaves in the case of saag paneer. We can also use the same blend for cooking chicken saag as well.
Origin
Both chicken saag and saag paneer are said to have originated in the northern region of India. Saag would be prepared in Punjab to celebrate the winter crop of mustard. But over time, both saag paneer and chicken saag have become majorly spinach-based curries.
Breads and gravy
Chicken saag vs saag paneer can both be eaten with plain rice, basmati rice, garlic naan, butter naan, Makki ki roti, tandoori roti, or plain roti, among others. Both curries use cream and butter to make a luscious and velvety gravy that can be eaten like shahi curries.
Season
If you make saag with mustard greens, both saag paneer and chicken saag should be eaten in winter as you scoop the green gravy with hot Rotis lathered in butter. However, if you just use spinach to make saag, both these gravies can be eaten all year long.
You might have already started to feel that these two Indian curries are not that similar after all! And you’re right! Saag paneer is quite traditional as compared to chicken saag. Find out more ahead.
What Are The Differences Between Saag Paneer vs Saag Chicken?
As we just learned, both these curries use a similar spice mix of garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric, and coriander powder to spice the green gravy. The saag paneer gravy itself can often be truer to traditional Indian saag.
How are saag paneer and saag chicken different from each other? We have enlisted every nitty-gritty:
Leafy greens
While the spice mix for these gravies is the same, chicken saag is a more modern form of mutton saag and is often used with just spinach in its green gravy, while saag paneer is still being prepared with a blend of other leafy greens as well.
Spiciness
While the method of preparation of chicken saag vs saag paneer is similar (frying leaves with onions, fresh ginger, cumin seeds, and ginger garlic paste on medium heat), and the spice mix is the same as well, saag paneer is often spicier owing to the fact that mustard greens and radish leaves are spicy and zesty themselves.
Healthiness
Both saag paneer and saag chicken are also quite healthy, as we mentioned above. But saag paneer can be a little fattier as paneer has more fat content than chicken. But saag paneer is also rich in other leafy greens. In fact, there is more. Is it a vegetarian dish? Yes! But is saag paneer keto? And is saag paneer gluten free?
Popularity
Saag paneer vs saag chicken popularity also varies. Since chicken is a popular source of protein across the globe, many variations of saag chicken exist where the spinach is spiced with exotic spices like cayenne pepper and smoked paprika among others, before adding chicken pieces. That is not the case with saag paneer.
Overall, both chicken saag and saag paneer are extremely delicious, nutritious, and fun to eat and cook. Finish these dishes with a dash of lemon juice. It is ready to serve with roti or basmati rice.
