Coronation Chicken……not so posh nosh! How the mighty have fallen. From royal favorite to sadly soggy sandwich-filling in a single reign, coronation chicken has experienced a decline in fortunes that would give even Fergie's accountant cause for concern. But then this 50s favorite has never been quite as posh as it seems. Created by the founder of Le Cordon Bleu cookery school, Rosemary Hume – rather than her better-known business partner, celebrity florist Constance Spry, as is often claimed – poulet reine Elizabeth, as it was originally known, was a deliberate and tactful compromise between the luxurious and the thrifty for a country still under the dreary yoke of postwar rationing.

Coronation Chicken

Normally bright yellow, coronation chicken is usually flavored with curry powder.  More sophisticated versions of the recipe are made using fresh herbs and spices and additional ingredients such as almonds, raisins, and crème fraîche. The original dish used curry powder, as fresh curry spices were almost unobtainable in post-war Britain.

It will be interesting to see what special dishes are concocted for the Jubilee.  I’m sure the competition has begun and the knives are sharpened!

An updated version of the old classic…………

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken, about 1.5kg
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 black peppercorns
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 tsp salt
• 4cm piece of fresh ginger
• Bay leaf
• 5 tbsp good quality mango chutney
• 50g ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp good curry powder
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 200ml homemade mayonnaise
• 200ml Greek yoghurt
• 50g flaked almonds, toasted
• Small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• Green salad and basmati rice, to serve

Instructions:

• Put the chicken, breast-side up, in a large pan along with the cinnamon, peppercorns, saffron, salt, the bay leaf and half of the ginger and fill with cold water until only the top of the breast is exposed. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat so only the occasional bubble rises to the surface. Cook gently for about one and a half hours until the juices run clear. Take out of the pan and set aside to cool, then remove the meat in bite-sized pieces while lukewarm. Finely chop the rest of the ginger.
• Put the mango chutney and apricots into a large bowl. Toast the curry powder in a dry frying pan until fragrant, then add the chopped ginger and stir both into the bowl, followed by the Worcestershire sauce, then the mayonnaise and yoghurt. Season to taste.
• Once the chicken is cold, fold it through the dressing and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before folding through most of the coriander and serving topped with the almonds, with a green salad and basmati rice..

 Recipe from The Guardian