Coronation chicken
Meat mains
Coronation chicken
Both luxurious and thrifty, this retro Anglo-Indian chicken dish from the 1950's is well worth reviving for a summer buffet or picnic. It's also a good way to breathe new life into leftovers from a roast, though they'll be less tender and fragrant than poaching your chicken from scratch.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 black peppercorns
- pinch saffron
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 4cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 5 tbsp mango chutney
- 50g soft apricots, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 200ml mayonnaise
- 200ml Greek yoghurt
- 50g flaked almonds, toasted
- small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Put the chicken breasts in a large pan along with the cinnamon, peppercorns, saffron, salt, the bay leaf and half of the ginger and cover with cold water. Lid and bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat so only the occasional bubble rises to the surface.
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Step 2
Cook gently for about 15 minutes, switch off the heat and allow to cool in the water. Once cooled a little, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
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Step 3
Put the mango chutney and apricots into a large bowl. Toast the curry powder in a dry frying pan until fragrant, then add the rest of the ginger and stir both into the bowl, followed by the Worcestershire sauce, then the mayonnaise and yoghurt. Season.
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Step 4
Once the chicken is lukewarm, mix in to the dressing and refrigerate for a couple of hours before adding the coriander and topping with the almonds. Serve with green salad and basmati rice.
