Chicken Rezala

Chicken Rezala - take a good whiff of this Mughlai chicken dish & you can't resist eating some right away. Juicy Chicken pieces doused in a fragrant thin white gravy that has infinite layers of taste. This is what makes a Bengali Chicken Rezala perfect. It's slightly on the sweeter side, subtly rich & slightly creamy but not silky & it's quickly made in an Instant Pot.

Bengali Chicken Rezala Recipe Video

Chicken Rezala Kolkata Style - Just like Aminia

This Chicken Rezala is an extraordinary Mughlai style chicken preparation in a white gravy that has outrageous flavors. It was brought in by the Nawabi influence in Bengal.

Popularly made during special occasions & feasts, Chicken Rezala is a typical dish from the Eastern State of India known as West Bengal & is certainly one of it's kind with quiet prevailing Nawabi notes.

This dish is all wrapped up in various layers of flavor that are complex, yet mild but quiet predominant.

The creaminess of the gravy comes from the use of cashew & white poppy seeds paste.

And it's subtle white color is due to the use of all white ingredients mainly yogurt & the nut paste.

Turmeric & red chili powder are not used in an authentic Chicken Rezala recipe ever & that's why it does not look like your regular chicken curries that you cook at home!

The dish is mildly hot & the heat is derived from the use of white pepper powder. It's meant to be on the sweeter side & that's how we made it today.

The magnificent aroma of the dish will fill up your whole house as you begin cooking this Mughlai style Chicken Rezala. And that thin white gravy with a layer of ghee floating on the top very iconic of an authentic Rezala will make you dig in right away 😀

Be ready to mop it all up with some hot, crispy Parathas & knead the dough with milk, malai & sugar 😉

What is Chicken Rezala?

Chicken Rezala is a Mughlai preparation that's made with juicy chicken on bones traditionally slow cooked in an extremely flavorful & intensely fragrant, thin white gravy that's yogurt & nut based.

It's a rich, luxuriant, subtle chicken preparation that has outrageous taste.

The extraordinary flavors & the intense complex layers of taste is an iconic identity of an authentic chicken rezala recipe.

It's rich but it's richness can be best described as "Subtle Rich". 🙂

Traditionally a Chicken Rezala is cooked in a pot over charcoal fire & that's one secret cooking technique that gives the dish it's signature taste.

It's difficult to mimic that smokey taste at home when you cook it on stove top heat, but today's recipe is very close to the signature taste if not exactly the same.

I cooked the Chicken Rezala in an Instant pot or electric pressure cooker for convenience & it turned out delicious. You can do that too or choose a simple pot to cook it.

Chicken Rezala Ingredients

You'll need every single ingredient mentioned below. Missing out a single one will alter the taste of the Instant Pot Chicken Rezala recipe.

1. Chicken on Bones: This is a must for best flavors.
2. Dry spices: Star anise, Mace, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, white pepper corns, black pepper corns, cloves, dry red chilies, bay leaves. Don't miss any! Each spice contributes a lot to the Chicken Rezala.
3. For the dry Masala Powder: White peppercorns, cloves, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, mace. This is a must so don't miss out on the ingredients.
4. Yogurt: Use regular curd. You may use either homemade curd or store bought.
5. White poppy seeds + Cashew paste (exact ratio mentioned below in the Recipe Card). The paste lends an extraordinary creaminess to the white gravy & balances off the aroma of all the powdered & dry whole spices beautifully.
6. Onion paste made in a special way: Saute onion, garlic & ginger pieces together in few drops oil & later blend them in a mixer grinder to make a smooth paste.
7. Saffron: Soaked in warm water. The petals bloom & give out a gorgeous saffron color.
8. Birista: Deep fried onion slices. Slice the onion into thin slices & deep fry them in hot oil over medium heat until golden.
9. Ghee

Pro Tip: Soak the cashews & poppy seeds in warm water for 15 mins. The soaking will help to make a smooth paste.

8 Tips to make the best Chicken Rezala

If you want your Chicken Rezala cooked in Instant Pot taste just like Sabir's or Nizam's in Kolkata do follow the below tips you won't regret the outcome 🙂

1. Choose Chicken on bones: De-skinned chicken works best for today's recipe. You may use any part of the chicken to cook it. We prefer cooking it with various chicken parts for maximum array of flavor.
2. Cook it in ghee: It really does matter! Ghee has a high smoke point & is a fantastic cooking fat. The taste of this chicken rezala will elevate once you cook it in ghee.
3. Longer marination = Better taste + Lesser cooking time. Marinate the chicken over-night or 24 hours for best results. I always marinate over-night and cook the Chicken rezala in Instant Pot the neXt day.
4. Fry the marinated chicken: This will pack such awesome flavors when done over high heat. The searing process will lock the juices in the meat. Do not skip this step even if you are in a hurry.
5. The Spices are very important: Do not skip them or sub them with something else. Substitutions just do not work for this recipe.
6. Saffron, dry spice powder, birista goes in the gravy later: Once, the pressure cooking is done in the Instant pot or regular pressure cooker throw in the saffron, birista, kewra water(if adding, it's recommended but I ran out so had to skip it) & dry spice powder. Simmer for 5 mins over low heat after adding them.
7. Use Regular whole milk yogurt: No greek yogurt. Thick yogurt will make the gravy extra creamy & milky. Use regular curd, yes you can use your home-made curd too.
8. Do not alter the proportions: The ingredients are very specific in today's recipe & they require the exact mentioned quantity. If you do not have something in your pantry keep this recipe for some other day.

Pro Tip: For the Birista deep fry 1 jumbo onion finely sliced over medium heat until golden & slightly crisp. It will yeild about ½ cup Birista.

Serving Ideas

Whether you cook your Chicken Rezala in an Instant Pot or regular pressure cooker it tastes best with Parathas that are fried in Desi ghee.

And the Paraths that I make exceptionally to go with this Rezala gravy taste somewhat different with distinct flavor. The taste lies in the dough - I knead it with sugar, malai & milk. Recipe will be here soon.

I always make mine at home & plan to share it soon with you guys 😉

If you can't lay your hands in some crispy parathas do mop it up with roomali rotis. If you can't manage them too just get yourself some butter Naan. After-all Naan makes everything better 😀

Last resort - Home-made Chapathis or rotis or phulkas....call them whatever 😛

How long can you store Instant Pot Chicken Rezala?

It will last you for 5 days in the fridge when you store it right in a clean air tight container.

I've never tried freezing it!

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How to make Chicken Rezala? Step by Step

Steps in words below pictures followed by detailed recipe card

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