Name: Coronation chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: For the chicken (if cooked from scratch):; 1.5 kg of chicken or chicken pieces (breast, thigh); 1 onion (cut in half ), 2 bay leaves, 8 peppercorns, 2 sprigs of thyme, 5 coriander seeds, 5 cm piece of ginger; For the curried paste:; 1 small onion; 1 Tbsp oil; 1 Tbsp mild curry powder; 1 tsp tomato purée; 4 Tbsp cooking sauce or white wine; 2 Tbsp mango chutney; Juice of ½ lemon; 100 ml mayonnaise; 100 ml Greek yoghurt or créme fraîche; 50g raisins; Handful of toasted flaked almonds; Coriander leaves to garnish; Salt & pepper

Coronation chicken

25 Aug 2017

by Dinna

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Total Time

25 minutes

Background

Coronation chicken is a cold dish that was created for Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Banquet in 1953. Since then it has become one of the most popular dishes in Britain for parties, picnics and as a sandwich filler. The original salad did not contain raisins, mangoes or almonds - it was made with peach jam. This simple, modern recipe can be made from scratch or using leftover cooked / grilled chicken.

Ingredients

For the chicken (if cooked from scratch):
1.5 kg of chicken or chicken pieces (breast, thigh)
1 onion (cut in half ), 2 bay leaves, 8 peppercorns, 2 sprigs of thyme, 5 coriander seeds, 5 cm piece of ginger
For the curried paste:
1 small onion
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp mild curry powder
1 tsp tomato purée
4 Tbsp cooking sauce or white wine
2 Tbsp mango chutney
Juice of ½ lemon
100 ml mayonnaise
100 ml Greek yoghurt or créme fraîche
50g raisins
Handful of toasted flaked almonds
Coriander leaves to garnish
Salt & pepper

Instructions

If cooking the chicken from scratch: put the chicken with the ingredients in a pan, pour over enough water to cover the meat. Bring to the boil, skim off the scum that accumulates on the surface with a sieve, then gently simmer for an hour. Drain the chicken and let it cool. Reduce the special cooking space on the stove.
Once cold, remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Use your fingers pull all the flesh from the bones and shred it into bite-size chunks. Put the meat in a dish and refrigerate until use. Alternatively prepare any leftover chicken the same way - you’ll need about 2 cups of it.
To make the paste: finely chop the onion. Heat the oil in frying pan and gently sauté the onion until soft, then add the curry powder and stir for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir for a few seconds, then add the wine (or the reduced cooking liquid).
Add the mango chutney and the lemon juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until you get a thick sauce. Turn off the heat and let it cool, then mix with a blender until smooth. Push through a sieve with a wooden spoon into small bowl.
Mix the mayo with the yoghurt and 2 Tbsp of the curried paste. Taste it, then season with salt & pepper, and add more paste and/or lemon juice to your liking. (Keep any leftover paste for other dishes).
Pour the paste over the chicken, add the raisins. Toss gently.
Just before serving, scatter the toasted almonds on top and some chopped, fresh coriander.
Serve with toast or crunchy bread.