Chicken Rezala
Chicken Rezala is a Mughlai recipe that is very popular in all over Bengal. It is a mild, extremely aromatic white curry. Chicken Rezala tastes at it best with “Rumali Roti”, though one can enjoy with any kind of bread.
There are various versions of it, and one could find many many recipes over the internet. I have tried a handful of them and settled on this one. This particular recipe is not only easy to make but also low calorie. I will share here two versions of it. One that I make on the stovetop and the other in a slow cooker, without any oil or ghee. Both are exceptionally tasty. This recipe is one of my favorites, as it is kids friendly, and popular among the kids starting age 3 to grown-ups.
The original recipe has ghee (clarified butter) and nuts (mainly almonds, cashew), but I do not use them to avoid the calories, without compromising its flavor. This recipe is usually made with chicken drumsticks or thighs. The chicken is slow-cooked to infuse the flavor of the aromatic spices like cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, bay leaves, and mace to produce the mild, mellow white gravy.
Marinated Chicken Rezala in Slowcooker 
Chicken Rezala in Slow cooker after 3 hours 
Chicken Rezala ready to be Served!
I marinate my chicken overnight, but 2 to 4 hours of marination is sufficient. In the marinate you can add grated or chopped onion. When cooking it in slow-cooker I usually use grated onion, but on stove-top, I use chopped onion. I prefer the slow-cooker version over stove-top as it is not only healthier but the chicken soaked in flavor melts in your mouth when cooked in slow-cooker.
Yields 8
2 hrPrep Time
3 hrCook Time
5 hrTotal Time
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Ingredients
- 4 lbs Of Chicken Drumsticks
- 3/4 cup of Plain Yogurt
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1 1/2 tbsp Poppy Seed powder/paste
- 2 tsp Garlic Paste
- 1 tsp Ginger Paste
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
- 1 tbsp Salt (as per taste)
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 6-7 Dried Red Chillies
- 1/4 tsp of Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 3-4 Cloves
- 3-4 Cardamom
- 2 small sticks of Cinnamon
- A pinch of Nutmeg
- Few pieces of Mace (Optional)
- 1/4 tsp of Kewra Water (Screw Pine Essence)
- 2 tbsp Oil (Optional only for Stove Top)
- To Thicken Gravy (Optional)
- 1/2 Cup milk
- 1 tsp Corn Flour
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken in Yogurt, ginger, garlic, poppy seed paste/powder for 2-4 hours.
- Add milk just 15 minutes before cooking
- Add marinated chicken with whole spices and onion in the slow cooker pot
- Add salt, sugar
- Slow cook for 2.5 hrs to 3 hrs
- Adjust Salt
- Add milk and cornflour and mix with the gravy to thicken the gravy
- Add Kewra water just before turning the cooker off.
Notes
If making on Stove Top, heat oil add all whole spices, and red chillies, then fry the onion. Add chicken after draining the marinate and fry. Then add the marinate, salt, sugar, and cook in low heat till the chicken is cooked. Add Kewra water.
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