Coronation Chicken

Coronation Chicken was invented for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, so it’s the perfect thing to eat while watching this year’s Royal Wedding, together with Elderflower and Lemon Cake.

Coronation Chicken

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Coronation Chicken uses a whole, roast chicken and (preferably homemade) mayonnaise, flavoured with garam masala and chutney. And that’s it. Serve with rice and salad for a tasty lunch or supper dish.

It travels well in a plastic box so I often take Coronation Chicken on a picnic. This year we’ve already eaten it on a very hot early May Bank Holiday in the garden.

Prepare ahead

You can roast the chicken the day before and make the mayonnaise a few days ahead, so that all you have to do is remove the meat from the bones (about 10 minutes) and mix up the mayonnaise. Of course, you could buy a roast chicken and mayonnaise and then you’re good to go. I sometimes do that on holiday, especially if I can buy a spit-roasted chicken.

Either way, this is a handy recipe to have in your repertoire, as it looks and tastes much more impressive than the effort it takes. And the better the chicken and mayonnaise, the better the finished dish.

HELPFUL TOOLS

• Meat thermometer – These days I use my digital thermometer to cook all poultry – including the turkey. It tells me when the internal temperature is reached and having the screen outside the oven makes it easy to read
• Roasting bags – I buy a larger size than I need to make it easy. I wouldn’t use them for every roast, but when the chicken is being cut up like this they’re ideal. The oven stays clean and so does the roasting dish.

Print Recipe

Coronation Chicken

Coronation Chicken is a cold dish of chicken in a mildly spiced mayonnaise

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr 30 mins

Total Time1 hr 45 mins

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: English

Keyword: chicken, salad

Servings: 4 servings

Author: [email protected] Cooks

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg chicken
• 300 g mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon garam masala (15ml)
• 1 tablespoon sweet mango chutney, heaped tbsp (45ml)
• 25 g sultanas

Instructions

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C fan/ gas mark 7/ 425°F
• Put the chicken in a roasting bag and cook for about 1 hour 30 minutes,
• You can tell it's done when the juices run clear when pricked with a skewer OR

  The internal temperature is at least 75°C using a meat thermometer (although I prefer to leave mine to 85°C) OR 

  Roast the chicken in your usual way
• Allow the chicken to cool in the bag

For the Coronation chicken:

• Strip the chicken meat from the bones

  Easiest done with your hands
• Tear the chicken into pieces that need cutting once or twice

  Put aside any very small pieces to use in sandwiches later
• Mix the garam masala, chutney and sultanas with the mayonnaise
• Mix the chicken in with the mayonnaise and turn into a serving dish

Notes

Everyday Cooks tips:

• Rost the chicken the day before and cool in the fridge overnight
• For an easier meal, buy a ready-roasted chicken