Ultimate Coronation Chicken
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Originally created and served for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, Coronation Chicken has remained a popular dish in Great Britain ever since. This BEST Coronation Chicken recipe bumps up the flavor several notches for a truly delicious meal that can be enjoyed as a salad, with rice, on baked potatoes, or as a delicious sandwich filling!
A few years ago when I was thinking about Prince Philip’s passing earlier that year and Queen Elizabeth’s advancing years, I was clicking through photos from a previous trip to England, including the ones of Windsor where the royal castle is. Feeling sentimental I went to work re-creating a famous dish attributed to Queen Elizabeth: Coronation Chicken. Of course now with Queen Elizabeth II having passed on, this dish has become all the more sentimental to me.
Growing up just outside of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, one of the places my mom and I liked to go to shopping was King’s Lynn, about 45 minutes northeast. For lunch a favorite stop was a bap (sandwich) shop that I understand is now closed, unfortunately. But they served baps with your choice of fillings and there were a good many to choose from. One my favorites was coronation chicken. Though not originally served with bread, it has become a popular sandwich filling in the UK and has remained one of my favorites.
What is Coronation Chicken?
Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953 and for that special event a menu was put together that included an original recipe created by Le Cordon Bleu co-principals Rosemary Hume and Constance Spry in honor of the special occasion. It is a cold chicken salad with a creamy mayonnaise sauce flavored with curry, apricot and flaked almonds. On the original menu it was called Poulet Reine Elizabeth (French for “Chicken Queen Elizabeth”) and was served on a bed of lettuce. It has since become known as Coronation Chicken.
Coronation Chicken Ingredients
With England having just recently pulled itself out from the ravages of WWII, Coronation Chicken was quite exotic for its time when ingredients were only just becoming available again after post-war rationing. Nevertheless, only a very minimal amount of the more extravagant ingredients was used, i.e. the curry powder and pureed apricots, but that was also in part because the luncheon was catering to a large group of people including many with conservative tastes. And while the original recipe is good (certainly good enough for the queen at the time), tastes evolve over time and many feel, myself included, that it lacks flavor and that the mayonnaise is overwhelming. I’ve made some changes that curb the mayonnaise, “freshens” it up, and adds a lot more depth and flavor.
You can use either apricot jam or mango chutney and if you don’t have creme fraiche you can substitute whole milk Greek yogurt. We’re also going to bump up the curry a bit and if you like a bit of kick feel free to use Madras curry powder. If you’d like to make your own curry powder, which I always highly recommend for the best and most vibrant flavor, check out my recipe for homemade Curry Powder.
I’m also adding some toasted sliced almonds for both flavor and crunch and we’re going to top it off with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro for flavor and color. Feel free to omit either of these if you prefer though I highly recommend them. Easy to make and deliciously flavor-packed, we’re confident you’re going to love this ultimate Coronation Chicken recipe!
Coronation Chicken Recipe
Let’s get started!
Place the chicken breasts in a small pot and cover with chicken broth (you can use water but we recommend chicken broth as it will infuse the chicken with more flavor). Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken for about 10-15 minutes or until completely cooked through.
Drain the chicken and let it cool completely. Chop it into 1/2 inch pieces or smaller if you prefer. Set aside.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the creamy curry sauce.
For optimal flavor, first briefly toast the curry powder in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until very fragrant. Be careful not to scorch it or it will become bitter. If you’re a DIY’er like me and want the BEST flavor possible, make your own homemade Curry Powder!
Place all the sauce ingredients in a large bowl, reserving the toasted almonds and cilantro until last, and stir to thoroughly combine.
Once the chicken is cold, pour over the sauce and carefully fold until the chicken is even coated.
Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving. Serve sprinkled with toasted almonds and some chopped cilantro. Serve on a bed of lettuce, on baked potatoes, with rice, or as a sandwich filling.
How to Serve Coronation Chicken
Originally Coronation Chicken was served as a salad on a bed of lettuce. Since then however it has become very popular as a sandwich filling, with rice, or with baked potatoes (“jacket potatoes”).
You can serve it cold or at room temperature and it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Favorite Retreat: Windsor Castle
In closing I have a brief photo tour for you. Whenever we visit England, Windsor has become our traditional “last stop” before flying out. It’s near the airport and it’s a great place to relax after our itinerary-packed vacations where we normally cram in far more than we should. Dating back to the 13th century, Windsor Great Park offers 5000 acres of lush lawns, old growth trees, beautiful flowers at Savill Gardens, and Victoria Water Lake. The town of Windsor itself is delightfully charming very walkable. Our kids like to feed the swans at the river, the boat rides along the Thames are scenic and relaxing, and of course no visit to Windsor is complete without a visit the Windsor Castle.
While Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey, her favorite retreat wasn’t London, it was Windsor. Windsor Castle had always been her favorite home which she escaped to on the weekends and it remains the largest occupied castle in the world. And so in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, I’m sharing some pictures of Windsor Castle from our most recent trip along with my recipe for the Queen’s famous Coronation Chicken.
And without further ado….let’s get to that fabulous Coronation Chicken recipe!
Enjoy!
For more delicious British favorites be sure to try my:
- Bangers and Mash
- Crumpets
- Yorkshire Pudding
- Cornish Pasty
- Fish and Chips
- Mushy Peas
- Toad in the Hole
- Scotch Eggs
- Treacle Tart
- Chelsea Buns
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Spotted Dick
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Ultimate Coronation Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (for a quicker method you can use roast chicken from the store)
- For the Creamy Curry Sauce:
- 3/4 cup quality mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup creme fraiche or Greek yogurt
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam or mango chutney
- 1 tablespoon quality curry powder (use Madras for a bit of spicy kick)
- Homemade Curry Powder (click recipe link to make your own for the best flavor results!)
- 3 tablespoons very finely chopped dried apricots
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds (toast them in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a small pot and cover with chicken broth (you can use water but we recommend chicken broth as it will infuse the chicken with more flavor). Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken for about 10-15 minutes or until completely cooked through. Drain the chicken and let it cool completely. Chop it into 1/2 inch pieces or smaller if you prefer.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the creamy curry sauce: For optimal flavor, first briefly toast the curry powder in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until very fragrant. Be careful not to scorch it or it will become bitter.Place all the sauce ingredients in a large bowl, reserving the toasted almonds and cilantro until last, and stir to thoroughly combine.Once the chicken is cold, pour over the sauce and carefully fold until the chicken is even coated. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving. Serve sprinkled with toasted almonds and chopped cilantro (see NOTE). Serve on a bed of lettuce, on baked potatoes, with rice, or as a sandwich filling.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet September 25, 2021
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I used to get this as a favorite sandwich filling in England. This brought back so many memories. The flavors are so fresh and vibrant, I love this recipe and will definitely make this regularly.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nora, thank you so much!
This was so delish! I used Greek yogurt and apricot jam. My family loved the flavors in this chicken salad. I will definitely make this again.
Fantastic, I’m so happy it was a hit, thank you Jenn!
Hi, Kimberly,
We just can’t do cilantro in our family. It sounds like a modern addition. Was it used at the time of Elizabeth’s coronation? Is there something else we could try? Thank you.
Hi Barb, the cilantro is optional. I use it because it pairs really nicely with the curry and apricot, but I completely understand that some people cannot tolerate it – there’s actually a gene that causes it to taste like soap if you have it ;) The original 1953 recipe used watercress for the garnish which you can use if you prefer. It has become more and more difficult to find though and you can also use a little parsley instead.
This was really superb, the best coronation chicken I’ve had anywhere. Look forward to making it again for an upcoming brunch.
Oh I’m so glad, thank you very much Terri!
Enjoyed this version of Coronation chicken enough to have made it a second time. I tossed in some chopped dried cranberries as well as dried apricots and used 10% coffee cream instead of bothering with heavy cream. (After all, the purpose of the cream is to thin down the mayo-Greek yogurt base.) Used mango chutney and a bit of my own home-made tamarind chutney, and absolutely worth the bit of bother to toast the curry powder. Added cold, it just doesn’t develop its flavour. What would have been helpful is to give the approximate weight of the boneless chicken breasts to better gauge the amount of sauce needed. This time, I cooked four boneless breasts that weighed slightly more than 1 kilo, so I increased the sauce ingredients by not quite another half measure and ended up with about 2/3 cup too much. (I’m sure I’ll find some ways to use the excess up.)
Hi Lynne, thank you so much for the feedback and I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe! For the future, for the weight measurements if you look to the right of the list of ingredients you’ll see a button you can click for “metric”.
The combination of sweet, savory, the slightest bit of spicy, and the creamy texture is so delicious. I’ve already made a second batch. I’ve served it on both bread for sandwiches as well as on a bed of greens as a salad and it’s delicious both ways.
Thank you, Elise, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback!