Chicken Rezala

This easy and delicious chicken rezala recipe is a mild and delicious white chicken curry that is made rich using nuts, seeds and yogurt. Try this for a delightful meal.

Course Main Course | Curry

Cuisine Indian

Keyword chicken rezala, chicken rezala recipe

recipe Indian chicken curry

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 31

Marination time 1

Total Time 1 36

Servings

Calories 485kcal

Author Rachna Parmar

Equipment

1 Chef's knife
Skillet

Ingredients

1 Kg. Chicken or 2 lb.
1 cup Greek yogurt or curd
12 cashews
2 tsp. Poppy seeds
1 tsp. Green chilli paste
½ tsp. White pepper powder
1 tsp. Garam masala
3 tsp. Ginger garlic paste

Whole Spices

5 cloves
2 cinnamon
12 peppercorns
4 dry red chillies
4 green cardamom
3 tbsp. ghee or clarified butter
Salt

Garnish

Saffron strands
½ tsp. Kewra water

Instructions

Take 2 lb. Or 1 Kg. chicken. Wash and dry. Take large and similar-sized pieces. You can use only drumsticks or thighs as well.
To the chicken pieces add 1 cup homemade curd or Greek yogurt. Here's how to make thick homemade curd.
Add 3 tsp. ginger garlic paste and 1 tsp. green chilli paste. If you don’t like much heat, you can skip this.
Add ½ tsp. White pepper powder, 2 tsp. ghee and salt.
Marinate chicken in this marinade for about 1 hour. You can leave it longer for better infusion of flavours.
Soak 12 cashews and poppy seeds in 1 tbsp. of warm water for 15 minutes.
In a blender, make their paste till smooth. Keep aside.
You can also add 1 tsp. melon seeds for more creaminess. If you can’t find poppy seeds, skip them and use melon seeds in their place.

Making the Curry

In a thick-bottomed pot, heat 2 tbsp. ghee and add the whole spices: green cardamom, cinnamon, clove, peppercorn and dried red chillies with bay leaves.
This time I had run out of bay leaves so I made do without them.
Saute them until they release their aroma. Takes about 1 minute.
Make a paste of 1 large onion and add to the oil. Cook on medium heat till the onion paste is browned. It takes about 6 minutes.
Alternatively, you could sauté chopped onions in a separate pan and make the paste when they are browned. That paste can be added directly to the curry.
Now add the marinated chicken along with the marinade to the pan. Cook the chicken on low heat for about 10 minutes.
Remember to open the lid and stir once or twice to avoid it from sticking to the bottom.
After 10 minutes open the lid and add poppy seeds and cashew paste.
Mix well. Put the lid back and cook on low flame for another 10-15 minutes till the chicken gets tender.
Add 1 tsp. garam masala.
As a final touch, add about 10 strands of saffron along with ½ tsp. Of Kewra water.
You can add half cup of water more, if you want more curry.
Cook for a minute more and serve hot with rotis, puris, parathas or boiled rice. Enjoy this delectable Chicken Rezala curry for a tasty meal.

Video

Notes

1. When marinating the chicken, allow it to marinate at least for an hour for flavours to permeate into the chicken, making it tender and delicious.
2. While cooking, cook on low to medium heat to gently cook the chicken. If you cook for too long, then the chicken gets stringy or overcooked.
3. When it comes to the paste of poppy seeds and cashews, remember to soak them in warm water before grinding.
This ensures a smoother, creamier texture that blends seamlessly into the dish.
4. While using Kewra water, be cautious. A little goes a long way, so sprinkle judiciously to avoid overpowering the dish.
5. You can use other nuts like almond or seeds like melon seeds, sesame seeds to make the curry richer and more nutritious.
6. Bone-in chicken pieces lend more flavour to this curry. But, if you want, you can use boneless thighs or breast.
They will cook much faster so accordingly adjust cooking times.

Nutrition