Poor old
coronation chicken; it started its life with such high status and aspirations,
invented, as it was, to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
It is often claimed that the dish was created by celebrity florist Constance
Spry, but credit must really go to her lesserknown business partner Rosemary
Hume, founder of the Le Cordon Bleu Cookery School. Let’s pay it where it’s
due.
A mixture of
cold chicken, mayonnaise, and curry powder (individual spices were rarely
available in post-war Britain), the dish was pitched as the perfect mixture of
exotic convenience.
What was once one of the UK’s most popular sandwich
fillings is sadly now more familiar as a washed-out service station staple; a
terrible shame, because the idea of lightly currying meat is lovely. When
approached with a careful hand, coronation chicken can be subtly fragrant and
delicious.
Makes 2
INGREDIENTS
½ small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tbsp good-quality curry powder
3 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp mango chutney
9oz (250g) leftover cold roast chicken
meat, chopped
A small handful of fresh cilantro
(coriander) leaves, chopped
A small handful of toasted slivered
(flaked) almonds (optional)
Juice of ½ lime, or to taste
Sea
salt and black pepper, to taste
4 slices soft white bread
In a small frying pan or skillet, gently cook
the onion in the vegetable oil, until it starts to color. Add the curry powder
and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time to prevent burning. Remove from
the heat and let cool.
Mix together the mayonnaise and yogurt, then
stir in the mango chutney. When the onion mixture is cool, add that too. Mix
this sauce with the chicken meat. Stir in the cilantro (coriander) and toasted
almonds, if using. Add a little lime juice (you can always add more) and salt
and pepper, to taste.
Spread
2 slices of bread with the chicken mixture, then top with the remaining 2
slices of bread. Cut the sandwiches into triangles, fingers, or squares, and
serve.
