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Chicken Rezala

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Chicken rezala is quickly becoming one of my most popular recipes.

When I wrote my first two cookbooks featuring British Indian restaurant style curries, chicken rezala wasn’t that well known. This recipe had to wait a few years when I featured it in my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy Bible’ and now I want to share the recipe with you here on the blog too.

Chicken Rezala served in a balti dish at the table.

About this recipe.

One thing I really love about doing what I do is meeting and learning from so many great curry-house chefs around the UK.

On one visit to London, I took my wife to Sheba Brick Lane and told her she had to try their rezala curry. She loved it. Chicken rezala is a lot like chicken tikka masala but it is a bit spicier and there are a lot fewer ingredients.

I learned Sheba’s famous biryani recipe when I was writing my first cookbook, so I asked the floor manager, Mohith Khan, if I could see how they make their rezala. A couple of days later, I was back in the Sheba kitchen cooking with Chef Faruk Miah. Y

ou are going to love this one. Chicken rezala is delicious served with white or pilau rice. Naans are also very nice!

How do you prepare chicken rezala?

This is a curry house style curry so you cook it differently to other, more traditional curries.

This idea behind this style of cooking is to get everything prepared before you start. You use a base curry sauce  which together with garlic, ginger, passata, onions, spices and cream become the sauce of the curry.

You also need to pre-cook your chicken so that you can add it right when the sauce is simmering hot. You could choose to make stewed pre-cooked chicken or try one of my tandoori chicken tikka recipes. 

You can choose from tandoori chicken tikka, stovetop chicken tikka and air-frying chicken tikka just to name a few.

How long does it take to make this curry?

With the essential base sauce and cooked chicken, the rest is a breeze! 

Just like at the best curry houses, you can whip this one up in about 10 minutes!

What is mixed powder?

One of the secret ingredients that make curry house style curries what they are is mixed powder.

I have a link for it here but if you don’t want to make it, you could substitute a good quality curry powder.

Do you have to add chicken?

Not at all! Rezala curries are hugely popular with chicken but you can add the protein of your choice.

Try lamb tikka, stewed pre-cooked lamb, paneer or even your favourite vegetables.

What do you serve with chicken rezala?

If you’d like to make this curry into a feast, you’ve come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice. You might also like to check out all these famous rice sides.

If you’d like to make naans, why not try one of these?  Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you’re cooking outdoors, karahi naans. Just as delicious are homemade chapatis.

Want to start your chicken tikka masala meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you’re feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

What do you need to do before you start cooking a chicken rezala?

You must make the base sauce which only takes about 40 minutes and it really is an easy cook.

Although the curry will benefit from pre-cooked chicken, you could stir in raw chicken and let it cook in the simmering sauce.

The pre-cooked chicken is added not only for flavour but speed of cooking.

Do you have to make the base curry sauce?

Yes if you want to make this famous curry like they do at restaurants. It really is an easy job to make it though.

If you want to try this curry first without making the base sauce, try my one pot version here.

How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?

You can store any leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. In fact, as it sits in the fridge, the flavours will develop and it will be even better.

Can you freeze chicken rezala?

Yes and it freezes well for up to 4 months.

If freezing, I recommend not adding the cream as dairy products do not freeze well. Then heat it up and add the cream just before serving.

To reheat, let the curry defrost completely and then place it in a sauce pan over medium heat until hot.

If you decide to freeze this curry, be sure to freeze it in portion sizes that are convenient for you in air tight containers or freezer bags. It is best to remove as much air as possible if freezing in bags before sealing.

Step by step photographs.

The ingredients for the curry.

Get your ingredients together and prepared before starting. This is a quick 10 minute recipe so you will want everything to hand.

Frying the garlic and ginger paste.

Heat the oil over a medium-high heat and stir in the garlic and ginger paste. Fry for 30 seconds to a minute.

Stirring in the chillies, chopped onions, mixed powder and chilli powder.

Stir in the chillies and chopped onionsand fry for about three minutes. Then add the mixed powder and chilli powder.

Adding about 70ml (1/4 cup) base curry sauce.

Add about 70ml (1/4 cup) base curry sauce and let it cook down.

Adding more base curry sauce to the pan.

The base sauce will cook down quickly so add another ladle of the sauce and bring to a simmer. If the curry is looking dry, add more base sauce.

Stirring in the pre-cooked chicken.

Add the pre-cooked chicken. You could also add tandoori chicken if you prefer. Scrape the sides of the pan as the sauce caramelizes for more flavour.

Adding cream, butter and coriander (cilantro) to the pan.

Once the chicken is heated through, stir in the cream, butter and coriander (cilantro).

Seasoning with salt to taste and the garam masala.

Once the sauce is the consistency you like, add the garam masala and season with salt to taste.

Chicken rezala served at the table with lemon wedges and paratha.

Serve with lime or lemon wedges at the table that can be squeezed over the curry to taste.

Chicken rezala

Enjoy! You are going to love this one.

If you like this chicken rezala, you might like to try some of these curry house favourites too!

Chicken Korma
Chicken Madras
Lamb Rogan Josh
Chicken Dhansak
Lamb Vindaloo Recipe
Chicken Chilli Garlic
Chicken Patia
Lamb Bhuna
Butter chicken

Yield: 4

Chicken Rezala

Chicken rezala served at the table with lemon wedges and paratha.

Chicken rezala is one of my favourite curries. It's similar to chicken tikka masala but spicier and easier to prepare. Try this soon!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium–high heat. Add the garlic and ginger paste and let it sizzle, stirring continuously, for about 30 seconds. Add the onion and salt (the salt will help release the moisture from the onion into the pan). Fry for about 3 minutes until the onion is just becoming translucent, then add the green chillies and fry for a further 30 seconds.
  2. Stir in the mixed powder and chilli powder. Add the tomato purée and about 70ml (1⁄4 cup) of the base sauce – the sauce should evaporate quite quickly.
  3. When almost dry, add another 125ml (1⁄2 cup) of the base sauce and the chicken with the cooking liquid, if you have some, or more base curry sauce.
  4. Bring this to a rolling simmer, stirring only if the sauce is obviously sticking to the pan. Be sure to scrape any sauce that caramelizes on the side of the pan back in as this adds fantastic flavour. Add the remaining base sauce and simmer until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
  5. To finish, swirl in the cream, garam masala, coriander (cilantro) and butter. When the butter has melted into the sauce, season with salt.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 482Total Fat: 46gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 564mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 9g

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Maggie Newman

Friday 24th of May 2024

I like Curry Guy recipes as they're not too involved & really easy to follow. Already had a frozen base sauce, so made even easier. Cooked the Chicken Rezala & was lovely consistency after simmering. Recipe called for 3 green chillies but used 2 & still very hot. Will freeze other 3 portions & maybe add some banana or mango to take away fieryness. My fault, should have tasted chillies before using. Lesson learned, but well done Curry Guy

Dan Toombs

Wednesday 29th of May 2024

Thanks very much and yes different batches of the same kind of chillies can have varying strengths so good idea to add to taste. Dan

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