Coronation Chicken is a great way to use up leftover chicken. It is lovely served with a rice salad, as a jacket potato filling, and great for lunch boxes, picnics and buffets. How versatile!
The dish was designed for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 as a representation of the, then, colonial nature of the British Empire so includes fruit, curry and mayonnaise. There may no longer be a British empire but this recipes remains a firm favourite all over the British Isles.
Coronation Chicken has made something of a comeback with a resurgence of interest in serving it at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
The dish was designed for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 as a representation of the, then, colonial nature of the British Empire so includes fruit, curry and mayonnaise. There may no longer be a British empire but this recipes remains a firm favourite all over the British Isles.
Coronation Chicken has made something of a comeback with a resurgence of interest in serving it at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp mild curry paste
- 1 tsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp red wine
- ¼ pint / 125ml chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 1 pint /450ml good quality mayonnaise
- 4 tbsp apricot jam
- 2 tbsp double cream, lightly whipped
- 1 lb/ 450g free-range cooked chicken, diced
- 2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds
Preparation:
- In a frying pan, heat the oil to hot not burning. Add the onion and cook on a low heat for 3- 4 minutes. Stir in curry paste and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the red wine, chicken stock and bay leaf. Season with sea salt and black pepper return to the heat and bring to a fast boil. Stir in the sugar followed by the lemon juice and simmer on a gentle boil for 5 - 10 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a jug and leave to cool.
- Slowly add the curry sauce mixture to the mayonnaise, stir in the apricot jam and fold in the cream. Place the cooked chicken into a large bowl, pour over enough sauce to coat the chicken. Any remaining sauce can be frozen for future use
- Serve the Coronation Chicken with a rice salad, or as a filling for a baked potato, in sandwiches or stuffed into pita bread.
