The ultimate makeover: Coronation chicken

The ultimate makeover: Coronation chicken

Discover a lighter, prettier version of this popular salad from our Ultimate Makeover collection, with half the fat but loads more flavour

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 2 hrs 5 mins

Plus 3 hours cooling

Super healthy

Method

  1. Put the chicken in a large pan, then pour in enough cold water to just cover. Roughly chop one of the onions, drop into the pan with the carrot, tarragon and bay leaves. Cover, bring to the boil, then lower to a gentle simmer for about 1 ¾ hrs or until the chicken is cooked (the legs will fall easily away from the body). Remove from the heat, but leave the chicken in the liquid to cool for about 3 hrs. When cold, lift the chicken out of the stock then strain (skim off any fat from the stock) and keep 200ml for the sauce. Can be done a day ahead and chilled. The excess stock can be chilled the frozen.
  2. Finely chop the second onion. Heat oil in a small saucepan, tip in the onion and fry until softened and pale golden, about 5-8 mins. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 min, stirring. Pour in the reserved chicken stock, then stir in the tomato purée. Cover and simmer for 10 mins. At the same time, put the apricots in a small pan with enough water to just cover them, then simmer for 15 mins. Drain, reserving 1 tbsp of the liquid. Purée the apricots in a small blender with the reserved liquid then press through a sieve (you should get about 1 tbsp purée). Remove curry sauce from the heat then stir in the sugar. Strain through a sieve, pressing as much through as you can with a wooden spoon, then stir in the lime juice and apricot purée and leave until cold.
  3. Mix together the mayonnaise and fromage frais, then stir in the cold curry sauce. Season to taste with a good grinding of pepper.
  4. Cut the spring onions into long, slim slivers, then set aside. If you want them to curl, put into a bowl of iced water while you finish the salad. Remove the skin from the chicken. Strip the meat off the bones in chunky pieces, remove the breasts separately and thickly slice. Gently toss the chicken with the curried sauce, the coriander and most of the mango. Scatter the watercress onto a platter. Spoon the chicken mix on top, tuck in the rest of the mango and finish with a pile of (drained) spring onions.

Per serving

402 kcalories, protein 32.5g, carbohydrate 15g, fat 23 g, saturated fat 5g, fibre 3g, sugar 14g, salt 0.53 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, June 2010.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo Alison

    27 May 2010

    Alison rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Cooked the chicken and left to go cold overnight. Drained off and left in fridge. so all the fat was solid when getting the meat off the bone. Sauce tasted great but I didn't puree apricots and no sieving. Forgot to buy spring onions so topped with just Coriander and the mango. Wasn't sure what to serve with so a few new pototoes. Family love it, espcially the mango. Will make again. Might reduce the fromage frais and add more mayo?

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  • Binder photo Hannah S

    13 August 2010

    Hannah S rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely YUMMY! I just used plain chicken breasts fried in a little olive oil and dried tarragon as I was only cooking for two. So tasty!

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  • Binder photo Pippa

    05 March 2011

    Pippa rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Without doubt one of the most fabulous recipes I have tried! Made this dish for a picnic at the races so most was cooked the day before. I vacu-sealed the chicken and refridgerated the sauce, and assembled all just before leaving. Cooked this to the letter and at the time thought it a little exhasperating to cook up a few apricots for 1tbsp puree but this is gorgeous - added tangy depth to dish, so don't leave this bit out. Staggered at how juicy and succulent the chicken was - I thought 'boiling' chickens was a bit WW1, but a real eye opener. Everyone 'wow'ed it and I felt immensly proud! Thank you Angela!

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  • Binder photo Speedychef

    08 May 2011

    Speedychef commented on this recipe

    This recipe is a big faff! The fromage frais makes it taste like a diet version, the mango is a nice touch. Yes always poach the chicken but the sauce can be done in 5 mins with Mayo, curry paste, a few spoonfuls of apricot jam and some herbs and tastes delicious!!

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  • Binder photo honeybee

    04 June 2012

    honeybee rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    We loved this - served as Jubilee dish. I cooked the chicken the day before in the slow cooker. Next time I would add more curry powder as it was a little bland. Very fruity, loved the mango. I didn't do the pureeing or the straining and it was fine. Have the tarragon flavoured stock in the freezer ready for soup.

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  • Binder photo Charlie

    05 June 2012

    Charlie commented on this recipe

    I also made this as a Jubilee dish and I have to say, I agree with Speedychef - an absolute faff! I expected it to be much more flavourful and have had much better coronation chicken's so a little disappointed unfortunately.

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  • Binder photo Charlie

    05 June 2012

    Charlie rated this recipe

    2 stars

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  • Binder photo fluffy

    09 December 2012

    fluffy rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    i know a easier recipe but this sounds good

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 2 hrs 5 mins

Plus 3 hours cooling

Super healthy

Ingredients

  • 1.6kg free-range, organic whole chicken
  • 2 small onions
  • 1 carrot , roughly sliced
  • 4 sprigs tarragon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 4 tsp medium curry powder
  • 2 tsp tomato purée
  • 6 soft, ready-to-eat apricots , quartered
  • 1 tsp light muscovado sugar
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 100g mayonnaise
  • 250g fromage frais , virtually fat free
  • 6 spring onions
  • 20g pack coriander , leaves only, chopped
  • 1 ripe mango , stoned, peeled and sliced
  • 100g bag watercress
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Per serving

402 kcalories, protein 32.5g, carbohydrate 15g, fat 23 g, saturated fat 5g, fibre 3g, sugar 14g, salt 0.53 g

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