Chicken Rezala in Mughlai White Gravy or Murg Rezala is a deliciously divine white gravy chicken recipe that’s a favourite of the Bengali palate. This royal Bengali chicken dish is a subtle mix of spices, flavourful and finger-lickin’ good!
Mughlai Chicken Rezala or chicken in white gravy is the most wonderfully flavoured chicken recipe! The signature chicken recipe is an aromatic yogurt-cashew nut based dish that’s rich and filling. Chicken Rezala is best savoured with biryani or Indian flatbread.
How to make Bengali Chicken Rezala:
Rezala chicken Bengali style is a nice and creamy dish with moist and juicy chicken pieces simmered in rich white gravy. Learn how make Mughlai Chicken Rezala.
- Firstly, wash the chicken pieces well. Keep aside.
- Peel and quarter two large onions. Then boil them in hot water till soft. Cool and blend the boiled onions to paste. Set aside. (However, you can also saute the onions in a few drops of oil and then grind them to paste.)
- Next, in a mixing bowl add half the ground onion paste, 1/2 cup curd, 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 tsp white pepper powder and salt to taste. Mix well. Add the the cleaned chicken cubes to the marinade and toss well till all the pieces are well coated. Then place the bowl of marinated chicken in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours.
- Meanwhile, soak poppy seeds and cashew nuts in warm water for 30 minutes. Blend to a smooth paste using very little water.
- Next, heat desi ghee plus oil in a kadai. Add the whole garam masala – bay leaves, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Saute for a minute till you get a nice aroma.
- Then tip in the ginger garlic paste and boiled onion paste. Fry for a few minutes till the raw smell disappears.
- Next put in the freshly made poppy seeds and cashew nut paste. Sprinkle required salt and 1/2 tsp white pepper powder. Combine well.
- Whisk 1/2 cup curd well and stir it in slowly on a low flame. Allow the curd to nicely blend it to the gravy.
- After this, add the marinated chicken. Combine all the ingredients well. Pour in a little water, stir and bring to one boil. Then cover the pan and cook on low heat for about thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the lid after half-an-hour and mix in mashed khoya, sugar and garam masala powder. Simmer on low heat till the chicken is tender and the gravy thickens.
- Next heat oil or ghee in small pan. Toss in red chillies and freshly cut onions rings (optional). Fry until the onions brown and then top the murgh gravy with the fried onions rings and red chillies.
- Lastly, garnish the murgh mughlai dish with saffron strands.
- Serve this rich and juicy Chicken Rezala with Mishti Pulao or Flaky Paratha.
If you are searching for more Indian murgh curry recipes, then you can try out Mangalore Roast Chicken Recipe.
White Gravy Chicken Curry Recipe Details Below:
Chicken Rezala Recipe
Chicken Rezala - a Mughlai-influenced Bengali main-course dish consisting of tender chicken cubes in shahi gravy. A simple chicken white curry recipe that tastes real awesome! Preparation of homemade white chicken gravy is easy peasy and the outcome is truly lip-smacking good! Try out this recipe of Bengali rezala chicken curry and you'll love it!
Servings: 4
Calories: 201kcal
Ingredients
- Chicken – 500 gms
- Onions large – 2 boil and grind to paste
- Poppy Seeds and Cashewnut Paste – 1 tbsp
- Ginger-Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
- Curd – 1 cup
- White Pepper Powder – 1 tsp
- Bay Leaf – 3
- Cinnamon - 2
- Cardamom – 4
- Cloves – 4
- Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp.
- Sugar – 1tsp
- Salt to taste
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Ghee or butter – 2 tbsp
- Khoya – 50 gms
- Red Chilly – 4
- Onion – 1 slice into rings (optional
- Saffron - a few strands
Instructions
- First, wash and clean the chicken pieces.
- Marinate chicken pieces with half the onion paste, curd, ginger-garlic paste and white pepper powder. Add salt and refrigerate the marinated chicken for 2-3 hours.
- In the meantime, soak the poppy seeds and cashew nuts in some water for about 30 minutes and then grind to a smooth paste.
- Heat some ghee and oil in a pan and toss in the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
- Next add the boiled onion paste and ginger garlic paste and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Add white pepper powder, poppy seed and cashew nut paste, salt and mix well.
- Stir in well-beaten curd.
- Next, add the well-marinated chicken, mix well, add some water, bring to a boil, cover and cook on slow flame for about 30 minutes.
- After about half-an-hour, open the lid, blend in sugar, mashed khoya and garam masala and simmer till chicken is nicely done and you get a thick, creamy gravy.
- Heat some oil/ghee in another pan and add red chillies and onions rings (optional), stir till onions turn brown and add this on top of the cooked chicken.
- Garnish with a few strands of saffron.
- Serve delicious and succulent Chicken Rezala with Pulao or Roomali Roti.
Mouthwatering recipe. Thanks for sharing this.
Simon