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Coronation Chicken

There can be very few people in the UK who have never eaten Coronation Chicken: tender poached chicken, swathed in an unctuous, sweet, mildly spiced, curried mayonnaise. Created for the Queen's coronation 70 years ago, the recipe reflected and celebrated the cultural diversity of the British Commonwealth.

Serves 2 - 4

Course light lunch, light supper, Lunch, packed lunch, picnic
Cuisine British
Keyword apricot jam, curry sauce, mayonnaise
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

For the chicken –

  • 2 breasts of skinless chicken, around 200g – 250g each
  • ½ lemon, sliced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Coronation Sauce –

  • 40g apricot jam
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 20g sultanas
  • 2 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 10g coriander leaves, thick stems removed
  • 100g good quality mayonnaise, I use Hellman's
  • 50g Greek yoghurt
  • 1½ tablespoons lime or lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
  • ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To serve –

  • Serve with a side salad and some dressed rice with peas and red pepper
  • I love it served with hard boiled eggs
  • Serve in toasted brioche with fresh spinach
  • Or in a brown bread sandwich

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. First cook the chicken: take the chicken out of the fridge around 30 minutes before you plan to cook it.

  3. Bring a pan of water to the boil with the lemon slices from ½ lemon, the crushed garlic cloves, bay leaves and salt and pepper.

  4. When the water boils, add the chicken, ensuring both breasts are submerged in the water. Bring back to the boil, put a lid on, take off the heat and leave for 25 minutes in the hot water.

  5. After 25 minutes, remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes, before chopping into slices or cubes. Set aside to cool.

  6. Make the curried sauce: heat the apricot jam and water in a small saucepan. Beat to mix thoroughly, whilst it heats.

  7. When it comes to the boil, give it a thoroughly good mix and then tip into a sieve placed over a small bowl. Strain the jam.

  8. Immediately add the sultanas to the jam to absorb some liquid and plump up.

  9. Meanwhile, blitz the spring onions and coriander in a food processor and until finely chopped.

  10. Add the lime or lemon juice and the spices and blitz again.

  11. For a thick sauce – weigh the mayonnaise and Greek yoghurt into a bowl and stir in the contents of the food processor, as well as the apricot jam and sultanas.

  12. Or, for a thinner sauce – add the mayonnaise and Greek yoghurt to the food processor and blitz until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the apricot jam and sultanas by hand.

  13. Stir the chopped chicken in to the curry sauce. It is now ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales and chopping board
  • saucepan - for the chicken
  • saucepan for the apricot jam
  • mixing bowl
  • food processor

What is the best way to serve Coronation Chicken?

Coronation Chicken is most commonly served in sandwiches these days, delicious on either sliced brown bread or in a toasted brioche bap. However, it also makes frequent appearances on buffet tables, and is wonderful served the original way, with a dressed rice salad. See here for my recipe Rice, Pea, Sweetcorn and Red Pepper Salad with a Lime and Honey Dressing