Let’s learn how to make a dish that was originally created in 1953 to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II. Gawd bless ‘er. I love Coronation Chicken because it’s so versatile; with a salad, in jacket potatoes, in a nice granary roll, with a cold rice salad. And don’t forget it’s a great use for leftover chicken – you can just make the sauce as the cooked chicken will already have absorbed flavour from the roasting.
Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients and instructions, it really is easy and relatively quick. Now, this recipe has no sultanas in it, although I rather like them – the decision is yours. If you are a sultana kind of chap, whack in a small handful with the purees. Remarkably, it mostly uses storecupboard ingredients.
CORONATION CHICKEN – serves 6-8
Utensils:
1 x large casserole dish
1 x medium saucepan
1 x large sieve
1 x whisk
1 x measuring jug
1 x colander or slotted spoon
1 chopping board and sharp knife
1 x large bowl
Ingredients:
6 large chicken breasts
2 slices of lemon
1 onion – roughly chopped
1 carrot – roughly chopped
1 bouquet garni
Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 splash olive oil
½ onion – finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry paste
1 tablespoon tomato puree
4floz / 125ml red wine
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons apricot jam
½ pint / 300ml mayonnaise
3 floz / 90g whipped cream
Method:
Put the chicken in the casserole dish, add the lemons, onion, carrot & bouquet garni
Add sufficient water to just cover the chicken
Bring to the boil, turn the heat right down and cook very gently until the breasts are cooked right through
Leave to cool in the liquid, preferably overnight if you have time. If not, just whip the breasts out (chicken, not your own) and leave them to cool on a plate
Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces
To make the sauce:
Heat the butter and oil in the saucepan
Cook the onion until soft
Add the curry paste, tomato puree, wine, bay leaf (?sultanas?)
Cook gently for about 10 minutes
Stir in the jam, strain and leave to cool
Put the mayonnaise into the bowl and beat the sauce into the mayonnaise
Fold in the whipped cream
Stir in the chopped chicken
Serve any way you like or just eat it straight out of the bowl with a great big spoon, growling if anyone comes near you.
Wartime Housewife 