Chicken Rezela: A Bengali-Mughlai Mouth-watering Delicacy

Being an enthusiast about cooking, I always keep experimenting with different foods to create new dishes. I believe when one pours his/her heart in preparing a dish, it is bound to fulfill one’s soul; rather I prefer to call it ‘soul food’. I will share one of my favorite ‘soul food’ recipes, popularly known as Chicken Rezela.

Chicken rezela recipe is a fusion of Bengali and Mughlai cuisine. An aromatic, white gravy dish having a smooth and creamy consistency which makes it different from other chicken recipes.

At my first attempt, I was completely clueless about how my recipe is going to turn out. But my father absolutely loved the dish  (this hardly happens at my first attempt). Now that is one big reason why this dish is my favorite.

Internet is overflowing with numerous recipes of chicken rezela, but what makes my recipe different is its subtle taste and the easily available ingredients at every kitchen.

My chicken rezela recipe is described in detail with step by step pictures of preparation and cooking.

 

 Ingredients of Chicken Rezela Recipe :

1. Chicken ( quantity depends upon the number of people you are serving but I have taken 1 kg)

 

2. Onion

 

3. Oil

 

4.  Onion, Garlic, Ginger Paste

Curd/Yogurt

Nuts (cashew/almonds)

Red Chillies

Black Pepper Corns

Bay Leaves

Cinnamon

Garam Masala Powder

Salt

Sugar (optional)

Ghee (clarified butter)

 

Method of Preparation :

• Sock the nuts (cashew/almonds) for an hour or more. Then place it in a mixer-grinder to make a smooth paste.

 

 

• Clean the chicken pieces and place them in a bowl. Add curd/yogurt followed by onion and garlic and ginger paste and salt.

 

• Mixed all the ingredients properly and leave for marination for an hour or more  ( you can also leave for overnight marination).

 

• Slice the onions.

 

• Heat a kadai or a saucepan and add both ghee and white oil.

 

• Once the oil is heated add the aromatics, i.e, red chilies, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and cinnamon.

 

• After stirring the aromatics in the hot oil for a few minutes, add the sliced onions to kadai.

 

• At medium flame, stir the aromatics and onions properly till the onions turn golden.

 

• Next, add the onion and garlic and ginger paste to the kadai.

 

• Mix all the ingredients properly and keep stirring till the raw smell of the ginger and garlic is gone.

 

• Once you start getting a luscious aroma, its time for the marinated chicken to go into the kadai.

 

• Mix the marinated chicken and other ingredients properly at high flame.

 

• Add a little bit of hot water so that the chicken does not burn from the base.

 

• keep stirring in-between.

 

• when the chicken is 90% cooked add the nut paste.

 

• The nut paste will give a smooth texture to the gravy.

 

• Add salt as per taste.

 

• Add a bit of sugar (optional).

 

• Stir well a medium flame.

 

• Cover the kadai/saucepan till the chicken gets completely cooked.

 

• In between keep stirring the chicken so that it does not stick at the base of the kadai.

 

• Once the chicken rezela is cooked, switch off the flame and sprinkle garam masala powder on the chicken.

• Keep the kadai covered for a few minutes and then serve hot.

 

• Best served with nun, romali roti, peas polao.