Coronation Chicken is an iconic British vintage dish designed by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume to be served at the coronation banquet of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It has since become a UK favorite and is quite popular, especially as a coronation chicken sandwich.
Serves 6
Ingredients for Coronation Chicken Sandwich
- 1.5kg chicken
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1/4tsp asafoetida powder
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 85ml red wine
- 150ml water
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 slices lemon
- squeeze of lemon juice
- 425ml mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp orange marmalade
- 3 tbsp whipped cream
- 12 Bread slices
- Lettuce (optional)
- 1 Tbsp roughly chopped coriander, cilantro or parsley (optional)
- 1 Tbsp toasted sliced almonds (optional)
- 1 Tbsp Diced apricots or sultanas (optional)
Instructions
Place the chicken in a saucepan, cover with water and add the salt and peppercorns. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes, turning the chicken once. Cover with a tight lid, switch off the heat, leave for one hour. Then remove the chicken, allowing it to cool completely and and tear the chicken into pieces.
Heat oil in a pan over a medium heat, add curry and asafoetida powder and cook for a further two minutes, stirring well. Add the tomato purée, wine, water and bay leaf and bring the mixture to the boil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the lemon slices and lemon juice to taste.
Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes. Then strain the sauce through a fine meshed sieve and set aside to cool.
After it has cooled, fold in the mayonnaise and orange marmalade gradually. Add more lemon juice to taste and fold in the whipped cream. Stir the chicken pieces into the sauce.
To assemble the coronation chicken sandwich, arrange six slices of bread on a flat surface, spread the coronation chicken mixture on each slice, and add or sprinkle your optional extras. Top each with a second slice, cut the coronation chicken sandwich into diagonal halves, and serve.
