Coronation chicken

Name: Coronation chicken
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 small chickens; 1 carrot, cut into chunks; 1 bouquet garni; 1 pinch salt; 4 black peppercorns; 300 ml white wine

Originally created in 1953 for the Queen’s Coronation, this creamy curried chicken is delicious served with a rice salad. Any leftovers make the perfect sandwich filling.

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1 of your 5 a day

Serves6
CourseMain meal
Prepare50 mins
Cook40 mins
Total time1 hr 30 mins
Pluscooling overnight

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For the chicken

2 small chickens
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 bouquet garni
1 pinch salt
4 black peppercorns
300ml white wine

For the cream of curry sauce

1 tbsp sunflower oil
½ small onion, chopped
1 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tsp tomato purée
100ml red wine
1 bay leaf
1 pinch sugar
1 lemon, 2 slices plus squeeze of juice
300g mayonnaise
2 tbsp apricot jam
50ml double cream. lightly whipped
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper

For the rice salad

250g white long grain rice
200g frozen petits pois
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 pinch salt
½ tsp Dijon mustard
½ cucumber, diced
20g pack parsley, chopped

Put the chickens in a casserole large enough to hold them. Add the carrot, bouquet garni, salt, peppercorns and wine, and enough water to just cover. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce to a gentle simmer and poach for 40 minutes or until tender. Leave to cool in the liquid; this takes some time, so you could even leave them overnight.
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook gently for 3-4 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato purée, wine, bay leaf and 100ml water. Bring to the boil, add salt, pepper and sugar to taste, the lemon slices and juice. Simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes. Strain and leave to cool. Remove the lemon slices.
Add the curry mix to the mayonnaise, a little at a time, then add apricot jam to taste. Adjust the seasoning. Stir in 2-3 tbsp of the whipped cream. Take half the sauce and mix with the remaining whipped cream.
Joint the chickens, removing the bones with care, and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Mix the chicken with the creamier half of the curry sauce. Arrange on a dish and coat with the extra curry sauce. Serve with a rice salad.
For the rice salad, rinse the rice, place in a pan, cover with cold water, add the salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the frozen petits pois and cook for 5 minutes more. Drain in a colander and refresh under cold water. Leave to cool fully. Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and some seasoning. Tip the rice and peas into a bowl, stir in the diced cucumber, chopped parsley and dressing.

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