This is not your ordinary chicken salad. Coated in a creamy curry sauce spiced with mango chutney and studded with dried apricots, coronation chicken is enticingly complex. It tastes both fruity and savory at the same time, and it somehow feels luxurious while still being remarkably simple to prepare. In a word, it's brilliant. Originally invented for Queen Elizabeth's coronation luncheon in 1953, it is also a recipe that has endured the test of time. There have certainly been a great deal of variations over the decades since, but this version leans heavily towards the classic recipe. Absolutely wonderful for any occasion, royal or otherwise.
Ingredients for Coronation Chicken
- poached chicken breasts
- unsalted butter
- small white onion
- tomato paste
- curry powder
- red wine
- mango chutney
- lemon juice
- bay leaf
- mayonnaise
- greek yogurt
- dried apricots (preferably unsulphured)
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- fresh cilantro
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and stir until it is slightly darker in color and the onions have become somewhat coated, about 1 minute.
Add the curry powder and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Pour in the red wine along with ¼ cup of water.
Add the mango chutney, lemon juice, and bay leaf. Cook until the mixture is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
Then remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a large heat safe bowl, and allow it to cool. Discard the bay leaf.
When the mixture is cool, add the mayonnaise and Greek yogurt. Stir well to combine.
Add the shredded or cubed chicken and the finely chopped apricots.
Then stir again until everything is well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with a generous sprinkling of chopped cilantro.
Hint: Most supermarket apricots are treated with sulphur dioxide in order to keep them bright orange and preserve their shelf life. I recommend unsulphured apricots here instead. They are darker and sweeter, and you can typically find them in natural foods stores.
Serving Suggestions
- Sandwiches - Coronation chicken is probably most often served as a sandwich or simply spread on a thick slice of basic white bread. And if you're feeling royal, you can cut off the crusts.
- Salad - When spooned over a bed of lettuce (such as butter, bibb, or little gem), coronation chicken becomes a rather dainty affair which would be lovely for an elegant lunch.
- Wraps - For a more "on-the-go" method of serving coronation chicken, just wrap it in a flour tortilla or spoon it into some pita bread.
Storage
Coronation chicken will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Top Tip
While I recommend poached chicken here, leftover roasted chicken works just fine when you're short on time.
📖 Recipe
Coronation Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound poached chicken breasts (shredded or cubed)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ¼ cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons mango chutney
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about half a lemon)
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup dried apricots (preferably unsulphured) finely chopped
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and stir until it is slightly darker in color and the onions have become somewhat coated, about 1 minute.
- Add the curry powder and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the red wine and ¼ cup of water. Add the mango chutney, lemon juice, and bay leaf. Cook until the mixture is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a large heat safe bowl, and allow it to cool. Discard the bay leaf.
- When the mixture is cool, add the mayonnaise and Greek yogurt. Stir well to combine.
- Add the shredded or cubed chicken and the finely chopped apricots, Then stir again until everything is well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve with a generous sprinkling of chopped cilantro.
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