Coronation Chicken Salad
Originally called “Chicken Elizabeth”, this recipe was invented by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume, the principals of the Cordon Bleu Cookery School, and was developed for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. With tender chunks of chicken coated in a mildly spiced sauce with mayonnaise, it soon became one of the most popular dishes of 1950s Britain and is still served as part of a traditional afternoon tea in hotels and restaurants across Britain including Claridge's. The Savoy, The Lanesborough, Hotel Cafe Royal and The Landmark in London.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 3-½ to 4 pounds bone-in chicken parts (all breasts or a combination of parts)
- 1 tbsp. fine sea or table salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp. black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 cinnamon stick
For the Salad:
- ½ cup mayonnaise, plus more as needed
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche
- 3 tbsp. mango chutney or any large mango pieces chopped smaller, or to taste
- 1 tbsp. curry paste or powder, or to taste
- ⅓ cup diced dried apricots or golden raisins
- 3 tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice, or to taste
- ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
- ¼ cup cilantro, leaves and tender stems, or scallions, chopped
- Fine sea or table salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
To prepare the chicken:
- In a large saucepan or soup pot, combine the chicken, salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, onion and cinnamon stick.
- Add enough water to cover everything by 1-inch; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Let simmer until the chicken is cooked through; about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Remove from the heat; let chicken cool in the broth.
- Transfer cooled chicken to a cutting board, reserving the broth for another use.
- Pull the meat off the bones, discard skin and shred or dice the meat into bite-size pieces.
To prepare the salad:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, chutney, curry paste or powder (see note), dried apricots or raisins and lemon or lime juice; mix well.
- Fold in the chicken, almonds, cilantro or scallion and a little more mayonnaise ,if the mixture seems dry.
- Taste and add more curry paste or powder, if necessary.
- Add more chutney, lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper, as needed.
- For the best flavor, let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Coronation Chicken Salad will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
If using curry powder, best to combine with mayonnaise at least 24 hours in advance; it can be gritty if the curry doesn’t have time to absorb oil and soften.