Chicken Rezala

Name: Chicken Rezala
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Westbengal)
Ingredients: Chicken (bone-in, mixed pieces): 800g; Yogurt: 200g, whisked smooth; Onion paste: 150g; Ginger paste: 1 tsp; Garlic paste: 1 tsp; White pepper: 1 tsp; Green cardamom: 5, crushed; Mace: ¼ tsp; Ghee: 3 tbsp; Salt: 1¼ tsp; Sugar: 1 tsp; Kewra water: 1 tsp; Green chillies: 3, whole; Saffron in 2 tbsp milk: optional; Fried onion: 3 tbsp for garnish; No tomato, no red spices — the whiteness is the signature; Use full-fat yogurt only; Cook at low-medium heat throughout — high heat will brown the sauce; A knob of butter at end adds restaurant-level richness

🍗 Non-veg🌾 Gluten-free📊 Medium

Chicken in a pale, fragrant yogurt-white pepper-cardamom gravy — lighter than mutton rezala, elegant and subtly perfumed.

⏱️15 minPrep

🔥40 minCook

🕒55 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Chicken Rezala

Coat chicken in yogurt, onion paste, ginger-garlic pastes, white pepper, salt; rest 1 hour.
In ghee, bloom cardamom and mace 30 sec.
Add marinated chicken; cook uncovered on medium-low heat, turning often, until chicken cooks through and yogurt masala thickens, 25–30 min.
Add sugar, kewra water, green chillies, saffron milk.
Simmer 5 min on low heat.
Sauce should be creamy-white.
Top with fried onion.
Serve with naan or polao.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 400 kcal | 44g | 10g | 20g | 1g | Chicken Rezala is the milder, more accessible cousin of Mutton Rezala — popular at Kolkata's Mughlai restaurants as the "delicate option." It is frequently ordered by those who find red-spice curries too heavy. The dish appears at Anglo-Indian gatherings and Christmas parties in old Kolkata neighbourhoods like Bow Barracks, where the colonial-era community still thrives. ---

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