Coronation Chicken two ways

It kind of seems odd now, but the recipe for Coronation Chicken was made just for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. It’s basically a curried chicken salad but you’d have thought something fancier would have been on the menu.

To this day it is still much beloved in the UK where you can find it ready-made in supermarkets and on the menu at most restaurants.

The chicken salad has evolved over the years, but I’m going to give you the original and then an updated version from Nigella Lawson. Both are very tasty, but it still seems like an odd dish to serve The Queen of England.

Original Coronation Chicken

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp white onion (or 1 shallot) finely chopped

1 bay leaf

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp brown sugar

1 cup high-quality mayonnaise

1 cup whipped cream, unsweetened

1 tbsp dried apricots, finely chopped

2 large skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cut into chunks

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp toasted almond flakes (optional)

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add in the onion, bay leaf and curry powder and gently cook for 2 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, red wine and water and bring to a gentle boil.

Add in the lemon juice and a pinch of sugar, then season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Simmer for 2 minutes, until the sauce is slightly reduced, then remove from the heat. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and allow it to cool.

In a large bowl mix together the prepared sauce with the mayonnaise, whipped cream and finely chopped apricots. Add in the cooked chicken breast, and mix gently all the ingredients together. Finally, add in toasted almond flakes if you using. —kwc—

Nigella’s recipe calls for hot red chiles which we don’t have fresh in Rockdale. And they do look good with the mango and the greens. If you don’t want any heat you could use jarred pimentos I suppose, otherwise use finely chopped jalapeño. You could also add red bell pepper for the red color and milder flavor.

Nigella Lawson’s Lighter Updated Coronation Chicken

1 mango, cut into small cubes

1 scallion (finely chopped)

1-2 red chiles (or to taste) deseeded and finely chopped

Juice of 2 limes (to taste)

1 cold cooked chicken breast (cut into chunks)

1 small heart of romaine lettuce, thinly sliced across

1 large handful cilantro, chopped

1 tsp vegetable oil

4 drops toasted Asian sesame oil

Tumble the mango cubes, and any juice they make, into a bowl and, with your hands, mix in the chopped scallion and chili and squeeze over the lime juice: use as much or as little as you want; frankly, the amount of juice you can get from a lime varies enormously from one to another.

I tend to leave all these to steep while I get on with the rest of my shredding and chopping, but whatever way you do it, tumble in the chunked chicken and shredded lettuce and most of the cilantro and, using your hands, toss to combine. Add the oils and toss again then decant on to a large serving plate and sprinkle over the remaining bit of cilantro.