Simple Coronation Chicken
Coronation chicken is arguably the best curried chicken salad out there. This coronation chicken recipe is certainly one of my favourite salad dishes.
You can make it beforehand and serve it up when you need it. I always make a big batch so we can enjoy it on successive days.
It keeps well in the fridge for a few days.
This recipe for coronation chicken is a very simple one as I use some ready-made mayonnaise. You can probably tell that we absolutely love Hellmann’s, from some of our other recipes 😃 – (no affiliation, alas – we eat so much Hellmann’s!)
This recipe does take some time to make as I prefer to eat it cold. The recipe time is longer because I have taken the cooling time into account in the recipe times.
But you can also eat this as a hot coronation chicken recipe – it is just as you prefer.
How to serve Coronation Chicken
This is a great recipe for serving at buffets when you have guests, who can help themselves.
Coronation chicken is also a great sandwich filler – try this once and you will never buy another pre-filled sandwich again.
Coronation chicken can also be a fantastic starter or appetizer, hot or cold, if you are preparing a lavish dinner for guests. It is also the perfect recipe for alfresco dining in the summer on the lawn, for example.
We like eating it in a flatbread as a sandwich, and will often eat is as a snack or main meal even. If you are like my wife and prefer it hot, then you can make it quicker as you do not have the cooling time.
Coronation chicken sandwich in a flatbread
Coronation Chicken Origin
Why is it called coronation chicken? Well, the original coronation chicken recipe was created in 1953 for the banquet of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, hence the name.
The original recipe was reportedly invented by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume from the Le Cordon Bleu School in London.
The recipe may have been inspired by the Jubilee chicken recipe, which was a similar curried chicken dish prepared for George V’s jubilee in 1935.
Here is a link showing some more information on the origins of Coronation Chicken.
In any case, the meal has its base origins in India, where the prime ingredient, the Indian curry powder, comes from. India was of course until 1947, part of the British Empire.
Easy Coronation Chicken Recipe
I also make another version, which is even easier to make, using curry paste. You can find it here – I have called it a chicken curry sandwich recipe- it is ready in 15 minutes and does not have all the sweet ingredients that this recipe has.
My wife prefers the alternate recipe, as she is less keen on mixing sweet with savoury. This recipe below includes dried fruit, like raisins, sultanas, dried apricots and mango chutney which adds the delicious sweetness to the taste. This is my favourite. I love this recipe. It is so easy to make and so tasty.
I think this is a perfect mix of savoury, spice and sweetness and is a great coronation chicken recipe.
What to serve with Coronation Chicken
Try using this recipe as part of a coronation chicken sandwich in a piece of pitta bread or a flatbread.
A coronation chicken starter is also always a great success, served on a bed of salad leaves, for example. Or perhaps together with some seared ciabatta or garlic bread.
Or even as an accompaniment together with a nice baked potato! The great thing about this meal is the countless number of different ways it can be served and eaten!
This is also a perfect al fresco coronation chicken salad recipe for a hot summers day….with a nice glass of Chardonnay…
Alternatively, this meal can be served as a main buffet dish or on a bed of cold white rice. It’s up to you! You can even make it using leftover chicken from your Sunday roast if you like.
I hope you enjoy making this recipe. If you do try it, please let me know how you get on in the comments section below!
How to make the best Coronation Chicken Recipe.
Easy Coronation Chicken Recipe
This delicious coronation chicken recipe is always a massive success, perfect for the summer and alfresco eating. Also great as packed lunch salad or sandwich. You will come back to it time and time again, I guarantee!
Ingredients
- 1 kg Chicken Breast (I work with uncooked, but you can also use leftover chicken if you have some)
- 120g Dried Apricots, chopped
- 60g Raisins or sultanas
- 30g Flaked almonds
- 200g Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Vegetable oil spray
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 200ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp mango chutney
- 1 tbsp curry powder (Madras strength)
- Salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
- Lightly salt the chicken breasts. Spray them with vegetable oil spray, then cook the chicken breasts in the oven for about 30 minutes. Do not overcook them as they will dry out. (If using leftover roast chicken, then just cut into suitably sized pieces).
- When the chicken is fully cooked remove from the oven and let them cool down on a plate in the fridge. When cool, chop them into suitable sizes (you may wish to have larger sizes for a buffet than you would for sandwiches for example).
- Then heat olive oil in a pan and add the onion (I use my wok to prepare this as I have a good glass lid for it). Cover and fry gently for about 5 minutes.
- Then add the curry powder and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring as you go and making sure the onions do not burn.
- Then add the tomato puree, chicken stock, lemon juice and chutney. Now bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool in the fridge.
- When cool, stir it into the mayonnaise in a mixing bowl and mix well. Then add the cold chicken, the raisins, the apricot and the flaked almonds and mix all together.
- Keep the food in an airtight container in the fridge. Coronation chicken will keep well for a couple of days in the fridge.
Notes
Serve up with a baked potato, or as an accompaniment to a green salad. You can also serve up on a bed of cold white rice, which is great in the summer.
Alternatively, this is a great sandwich filler, or even a meal in itself in your lunch box. If you like chicken, you will not be able to beat this in your local deli!
Yummy !
