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Bangladeshi · Bengali

Chicken rezala

Non-vegetarian

মুরগির রেজালা · Murgir rezala

A pale, creamy Mughlai-style chicken curry cooked in yogurt, onion and cashew paste with whole spices and green chillies — rich and fragrant rather than fiery.

Chicken rezala is a Bangladeshi main course, ready in about 1 hour 45 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, yogurt and green chilli. It serves 5 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
20 min
Cook
55 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 45 min
Serves
5
Level
Intermediate
Calories
662

Ingredients

5 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the chicken with the yogurt (opens in a new tab), ginger, garlic (opens in a new tab), white pepper (opens in a new tab) and salt and marinate for 30 minutes.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw chicken in the fridge and wash hands afterwards.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Heat the ghee (opens in a new tab) and oil in a heavy pot. Add the cinnamon (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab) and bay leaves (opens in a new tab), then the onion (opens in a new tab) paste, and cook gently for 8–10 minutes until it loses its raw smell but stays pale.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the chicken and marinade and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the cashew (opens in a new tab) paste, sugar (opens in a new tab) and nutmeg (opens in a new tab), cover and simmer for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender.

    • 35 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Chicken must reach 74 °C at the bone.

  4. Step 4

    Add the green chillies and milk (opens in a new tab) and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes until the sauce is creamy. Sprinkle with rose (or kewra) water off the heat.

    • 6 min
    • low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Bengal (Dhaka and Kolkata) · Commonly attributedA Mughlai dish associated with both Dhaka and Kolkata; a fixture of Bangladeshi weddings and Eid.Also popular in Bangladesh, India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Curries
Cooking method
Braised, Simmered
Taste
creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced, mild, rich
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein
With the listed swaps: No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Yogurt · Green chilli · Onion · Fresh ginger · Garlic
Techniques
Simmering · Braising · Marinating

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt, ghee, milk
  • Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom cashews

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

662 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 354 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 25%
  • Carbohydrate 8%
  • Fat 66%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy662 kcal187 kcal
Protein41.7 g11.8 g
Carbohydrate13.7 g3.9 g
Net carbohydrate12 g3.4 g
Sugars6.9 g2 g
Added sugars0.8 g0.2 g
Fibre1.7 g0.5 g
Fat48.7 g13.8 g
Saturated fat16 g4.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol179 mg51 mg
Sodium1109 mg313 mg
Salt equivalent2.8 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
651 mg
Calcium
137 mg
Iron
2.7 mg
Magnesium
76 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
177 µg
Vitamin C
26 mg
Vitamin D
0.7 µg
Vitamin B12
0.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
29 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: rose water.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep the heat gentle so the yogurt does not split and the sauce stays white.

Common mistakes

  • Browning the onion paste — rezala should be pale ivory.

Serve with

  • Serve with polao (fragrant rice) or naan.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently; do not boil hard.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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