A fabulously easy and lighter version of the classic 1950’s Coronation Chicken, my quick recipe for 21st Century Coronation Chicken uses reduced fat mayonnaise, half fat crème frâiche and some amazing caramelised red onion chutney (and chunky mango chutney) from Shaws of Huddersfield

with

Shaws of Huddersfield

Coronation Chicken is one of my favourite recipes, and I remember it being featured on all our celebration buffets when I was growing up; today’s recipe for 21st Century Coronation Chicken is exactly that, a recipe that is made for today’s tastes, easier to make and lighter than the original, using reduced fat mayonnaise, half fat crème frâiche, as well as some amazing caramelised red onion chutney (and chunky mango chutney) from Shaws of Huddersfield. As well as the chutney, I’ve added lemon juice and fresh spring onions for extra freshness and a tangy flavour. You can serve this “lightened-up” version of a British classic as a salad or in sandwiches as a sandwich filling. And, it’s also amazing when served as a filling for jacket potatoes too!

The founder, George Shaw and family. Image: Shaws Huddersfield

Shaws has been around for a long time, and my dad loved their chutney, especially their Beetroot and Horseradish Chutney. They’ve produced their preserves on the same site in Huddersfield for over a 100 years, and their current Chairman, Matthew Shaw, is the Great Great Grandson of the founding father of the company, George Shaw, which makes him 5th generation of the Shaws family. It’s lovely to see a family, and a Yorkshire company, going from strength to strength in the 21st century, with the same values about quality and innovation that was the cornerstone of the original company in 1889. And, with that in mind, it was an easy decision to make when they approached me to ask if I’d work with them, using their fabulous produce.

Today’s recipe is the first of many that I will be developing in collaboration with this Yorkshire family company, and it comes just in time for the summer picnic season! Using their caramelised red onion chutney as the hero ingredient in this recipe, as well as a smidgen of their chunky mango chutney, adds a wonderfully rich onion flavour, as well as a bit of fruitiness. If you need to cook the chicken just for this recipe, here’s a fab way to cook boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets without them drying out……

For 2 to 4 chicken breasts, pour boiling water into a saucepan then add a vegetable stock cube and half a lemon, cut into wedges. Add the chicken breasts and poach them gently, covered, for 10 minutes; after 10 minutes, take the pan of the heat, keep it covered and allow the chicken breasts to cool in the stock until you need to use them – this keeps them moist. Keep the stock for soup, sauces or as a chicken stock.

I hope you feel inspired to try today’s quick and simple recipe for 21st Century Coronation Chicken – the addition of the caramelised red onion chutney really does make it very special, and by using reduced fat dairy products, the flavours are cleaner and the protagonist ingredients are allowed to sing……with clarity! Watch out for a fabulous Picnic Inspired Giveaway that I will be hosting on behalf of Shaws of Huddersfield soon and, in the meantime, I’ve shared the recipe for today’s modern adapted Coronation Chicken below……see you soon with that promised giveaway and more new recipes from the Lavender and Lovage kitchen! Karen 

Disclaimer: Paid collaborative work with Shaws

21st Century Coronation Chicken

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Serves	4 to 6 depending on whether it is served as a salad or in sandwiches
Prep time	5 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk
Meal type	Appetizer, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

A fabulously easy and lighter version of the classic 1950's Coronation Chicken, my quick recipe uses reduced fat mayonnaise, half fat crème frâiche and some amazing caramelised red onion chutney (and chunky mango chutney) from Shaws of Huddersfield; as well as the chutney, I've added lemon juice and fresh spring onions for an extra freshness and a tangy taste. Serve this "lightened-up" version of a British classic as a salad or in sandwiches as a sandwich filling. It is also amazing when served as a filling for jacket potatoes too!

Ingredients

• 2 x cooked chicken breast fillets, roughly diced into small chunks (about 120g each, skinless and boneless)
• 50g toasted flaked almonds
• fresh lettuce leaves to serve

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons half fat Crème Frâiche
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons Shaws Caramelised Red Onion Chutney
• 2 teaspoons curry paste (mild or medium according to taste)
• 2 teaspoons Shaws Chunky Mango Chutney (plus extra to serve)
• small bunch spring onions (trimmed and finely diced, reserve some of the green tops to serve)
• salt and pepper to taste

Note

A fabulously easy and lighter version of the classic 1950's Coronation Chicken, my quick recipe uses reduced fat mayonnaise, half fat crème frâiche and some amazing caramelised red onion chutney (and chunky mango chutney) from Shaws of Huddersfield; as well as the chutney, I've added lemon juice and fresh spring onions for extra freshness and a tangy flavour. Serve this "lightened-up" version of a British classic as a salad or in sandwiches as a sandwich filling. It is also amazing when served as a filling for jacket potatoes too!

Directions

Step 1	Make the sauce: mix all of the sauce ingredients together, adding the lemon juice to the mayonnaise and crème frâiche first in order to loosen it, before adding the rest of the ingredients. When adding the chutneys, carefully stir them in as not to over mix them and change the colour pf the sauce. Adjust seasoning to taste with extra curry paste and salt and pepper if necessary.
Step 2	Add the diced cooked chicken to the sauce mixture and carefully fold it in.
Step 3	Line a serving platter with leaves, I used Baby Gem leaves, and spoon the Coronation Chicken over the top of the lettuce leaves. Scatter the toasted almonds over the top with the reserved spring onion greens.
Step 4	Serve with extra mango chutney and crusty bread as a salad, or use in in sliced bread as a sandwich filling. Can also be used as a filling for jacket potatoes or as a topping for open sandwiches too.
Step 5	NB: To cook the chicken breasts, it is best to poach them in a little stock; for 2 to 4 chicken breasts, pour boiling water into a saucepan then add a vegetable stock cube and half a lemon, cut into wedges. Add the chicken breasts and poach them gently, covered, for 10 minutes; after 10 minutes, take the pan of the heat, keep it covered and allow the chicken breasts to cool in the stock until you need to use them - this keeps them moist. Keep the stock for soup, sauces or as a chicken stock.

The History of Coronation Chicken

Constance Spry, an English food writer and flower arranger, and Rosemary Hume, a chef, both principals of the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London, are credited with the invention of coronation chicken. Preparing the food for the banquet of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, Spry proposed the recipe of cold chicken, curry cream sauce and dressing, originally called Poulet Reine Elizabeth, it would later become known as Coronation Chicken.

Coronation Chicken may have been inspired by Jubilee Chicken, a dish prepared for the Silver Jubilee of George V in 1935, which mixed chicken with mayonnaise and curry. Additionally, for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002, another celebratory dish was devised, also called Jubilee Chicken.

Wikipedia