My daughter, Maggie, came up with the inspiration for my first post: chicken salad (which she does not eat, Lol, but I figured I’d run with it). So, I decided to practice and perfect a version of Coronation Chicken. My version is a chicken salad, and it’s super versatile. See more in the notes.
The story behind this dish is that the founder of the famous cooking school Le Cordon Bleu, Constance Spry, invented the original dish in 1953 for the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and it was based on the dish served at Elizabeth’s grandfather’s Jubilee celebration.
In this recipe, I brine and then sear the chicken, bake it with seasoning and spices, and then mix it with a blended curry mayonnaise and crunchy vegetables and fruit. It’s great on a bed of lettuce, on some crusty bread, or even on a croissant. Let’s make it!
For chicken and brine:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbs salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs or more curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
Cracked black pepper
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp (or more) peppercorns
1 stick of cinnamon
small handful of celery leaves
For the curry/chutney mayo mix:
2-3 Tbs Major Grey’s Curry
2-3 Tbs apricot jam
3 Tbs diced shallots
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I like the olive oil kind, but regular is fine)
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
Salt and pepper
dash of turmeric
squeeze of lemon or lime juice
For the salad mix:
3-4 ribs of celery, chopped or diced
3 green onions, chopped
1 apple, diced
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries
A bit of grated ginger, to taste
Start with the chicken:
Brine the chicken in the mixture of salt and sugar and water for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I like to put it in a food storage container with a lid to prevent potential leaking. Rinse well, and pat dry. Season the chicken with curry powder and pepper (I don’t use salt because of the brine, you can always add more salt later) and sear in a skillet on both sides, not enough to cook through, but just enough to get a nice golden color on each side.
Add the chicken to a 9 x 13’’ Pyrex or baking dish. Add in a bit of water (you can also use chicken or vegetable broth). Then add bay leaves, peppercorns (I’ve used Sichuan peppercorns before), cinnamon stick, and celery leaves. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads an internal temperature of the chicken at 165 degrees.
Let the chicken rest, and start in on the magic.
Add oil to a skillet at medium/medium high heat, add the shallots and sauté until somewhat soft. Add apricot jam and the Major Grey’s Chutney and cook until bubbly. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, add mayonnaise and Greek yogurt to a food processor. When the chutney mixture is cool enough, add to the processor and pulse until you have a smooth, creamy mayo blend. Here’s where you can add in a dash of turmeric for color, a squeeze of lemon or lime or even the zests of. It’s really up to you and your palate!
In a bowl, add the celery, ginger, green onions, raisins and cranberries and/or cherries, and apple. Add salt and pepper and a bit of curry to the mix, and let sit for about 10 minutes. This is a tip I learned on “The Kitchen” cooking show. It helps season the vegetable/fruit mix before the mayo/chutney mix is introduced, which mellows the spices.
Add your chutney /shallot mixture to your bowl, and if you haven’t already, dice the chicken and add as well. Taste and add more seasonings as needed/desired. Serve on nice bread (I only had plain, store-bought sandwich bread, but this weekend I made my own bread -first try!- and it was fantastic. I’ll definitely use that next time). But you can use anything. You can omit the bread and serve this over some nice, pillowy butter lettuce or stuff a tomato with the salad. Or, use a croissant.
You can add so many things to this salad. Slivered, toasted almonds; sliced red grapes; chopped onion; or chopped walnuts or pecans. And you can adjust the ingredients – more apples? Spicier curry? Go for it!