Coronation Chicken
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and Serious Eats.
Poached chicken is folded through a curried mayonnaise and yoghurt dressing with mango chutney and apricots, finished with toasted almonds.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Poach the chicken. Put the chicken breasts in a pan with water to cover by 2 cm, along with the salt and bay leaves. Bring to 80°C - just small bubbles at the edge of the pan, no full boil - then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 18-24 minutes, until the chicken reaches 74°C.
- 2
Cool and shred. Rather than lifting it straight out, let the chicken cool in its poaching liquid for 20 minutes, which keeps it noticeably juicier. Once cool enough to handle, shred or cut it into bite-sized pieces and chill.
- 3
Bloom the curry powder. Warm the oil in a small pan over low heat, add the curry powder and cinnamon, and stir for 1 minute until fragrant. This brief cooking removes the raw, dusty edge curry powder can have straight from the jar; let it cool before using.
- 4
Mix the dressing. Stir together the mayonnaise, yoghurt, mango chutney, lemon juice, chopped apricots, salt and the cooled bloomed spices. Fold in the chilled chicken, then cover and chill for at least 1 hour so the flavours have time to meld together.
- 5
Toast the almonds. In a dry pan, toast the flaked almonds over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until golden, keeping them moving so they colour evenly without burning.
- 6
Serve. Serve the chicken on a bed of crisp lettuce leaves, or piled into sandwiches, topped with the toasted almonds and chopped coriander.
Storage
Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in a covered container; this dish isn't suitable for freezing as the mayonnaise-based dressing will separate. Serve chilled rather than reheating. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- medium saucepan with lid
- small frying pan
- mixing bowl
- instant-read thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 476 kcal |
| Protein | 38.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 16 g |
| of which sugars | 12.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 5.2 g |
| Fat | 28.4 g |
| of which saturates | 4.7 g |
| Fibre | 2.6 g |
| Salt | 1.59 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
8.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
