Coronation Chicken

A lovely chicken dish created to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II back in 1953, Coronation Chicken is something that's still so delicious today.

What is Coronation Chicken?

It's quite literally a dish fit for royalty!

The recipe for Coronation Chicken was created in 1953 by Constance Spry, a well-known florist and cook, and Rosemary Hume, a chef and teacher.

It was the dish to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and was served at the coronation banquet, which was held at Westminster Abbey in London.

The Coronation, which took place on June 2, 1953, was attended by thousands of people, including heads of state, politicians, and members of the royal family. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the senior bishop of the Church of England. During the ceremony, she was presented with various symbols of her royal authority, including a scepter, a rod of mercy, and the Crown Jewels.

Back to the chicken though.

Coronation Chick was an instant success and remains popular today.

It's a great dish that is best made in advance and can be enjoyed as a salad, on a sandwich and is perfect party or picnic fare.

Coronation Chicken is essentially a cold chicken salad dressed in a creamy, curry-flavoured sauce, and usually contains curry powder, and other herbs and spices, along with chutney or jam and some sultanas or dried fruit.

The dish is one that has evolved, since it's easy to adapt to suit individual tastes. Some people like to add more spice to the sauce, while others prefer it to be milder.

A Recipe for Coronation Chicken

This is my own recipe for Coronation Chicken, based on the many versions I reviewed in preparing this post.

It's mild, fresh and packed with flavour.

As I said above, though, it's such a great dish to switch things about a bit to suit your own particular preferences.

Coronation Chicken Ingredients

• cooked, cold, finely shredded chicken
• celery, finely chopped
• onion, finely chopped
• dried apricots, chopped
• orange marmalade (or mango chutney)
• slivered almonds
• mayonnaise
• olive oil
• curry powder
• cinnamon
• fresh coriander
• salt and pepper.

What type of chicken works best?

Here, I bought a cold BBQ chicken from the supermarket and shredded meat from the breast, thigh and drumstick in my stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment and beat on low-medium for a minute or two.

You can also use a hand mixer to shred chicken or do it manually by using two forks (hold a fork in each hand and use them to pull the meat apart).

Making Coronation Chicken

Once you have shredded your cooked chicken and chopped the celery, spring onion and dried apricots, it really couldn't be easier to put this dish together.

Simply stir everything together in a mixing bowl until well combined.

Place in the fridge and, ideally, allow the flavours to develop for a few hours before serving.

Serve cold on a sandwich or as a salad served with crisp lettuce.

If you're celebrating something special, enjoy your Coronation chicken my favourite way – with champagne and potato chips (crisps) in the side.

Fancy!

Recipe FAQs

Q. How long does Coronation Chicken keep in the fridge?

Provided the chicken used in the recipe was cooked on the day of making the Coronation Chicken, it should last up to a few days in the fridge if stored covered. But please use your own judgment and discretion.

Q. Can I make Coronation Chicken ahead of time?

Yes. As I mention above, it was actually designed to be made ahead of time and reaches optimum flavour if made at least a few hours ahead of serving.

Q. How do I shred chicken?

You can used a stand mixer or hand mixer to quickly shred chicken. Just place in the mixing bowl and mix until the meat is finely shredded.

Otherwise, use two forks – one in each hand – to break apart the meat.

Q. What are some ways to enjoy Coronation Chicken?

Scroll up to see my favourite way to enjoy this dish – on a sandwich with potato chips on the side and washed down with a glass of bubbles!

It's also lovely served as a salad with some crisp lettuce or as a baked potato filling.

Q. Do you have any other recipes fit for royalty?

I certainly do. I have a recipe for Queen Elizabeth II's favourite Chocolate Biscuit Cake, another for Jubilee Cake and the fabulous recipe for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Trifle.

Q. Do you have other chicken recipes?

Yes, I do. Check out the chicken recipe collection here.