Posted on
2 April 2015
by
Liz Robb
Coronation Chicken with Crunchy Cabbage Salad
Ingredients
<strong>For the chicken: </strong>
Fresh flat leaved parsley
3-4 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
A small piece of fresh ginger
Salt
1 heaped teaspoon of black peppercorns
4 chicken breasts, skin removed
4 spring onions
3 heaped tablespoons of mayonnaise
3 heaped tablespoons of crème fraiche
1 and a half teaspoons of medium curry powder
2 tablespoons of mango chutney
2 tablespoons of sultanas
2 tablespoons of toasted flaked almonds
Fresh coriander
1 lime
<strong>For the salad:</strong>
4 leaves of romaine lettuce
50g white cabbage
75g red cabbage
2 sticks of celery
A quarter of a cucumber
1 large carrot
A handful of fresh flat leaved parsley
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of runny honey
1-2 teaspoons of cold water
Salt and black pepper
Preparation
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<strong>For the chicken: </strong>
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1. First you need to poach the chicken. Chop roughly a few sprigs of fresh parsley, peel and quarter the shallots then peel and roughly chop the ginger. Put them all in a saucepan with the crushed garlic and place the chicken breasts on top. Fill with enough cold water to cover the chicken by just a few centimetres, add a good grinding of salt and the peppercorns, and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken, until it is cooked right through. Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and set aside to cool.
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2. Peel and finely chop the spring onions and place in a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, crème fraiche, curry powder, mango chutney, sultanas and flaked almonds. Chop a few sprigs of fresh coriander to add, plus the grated zest of the lime and 2 teaspoons of lime juice, then season to taste with salt and black pepper. Chop the chicken into chunks and fold it into the creamy mixture until it is well coated. Leave to chill while you make the salad.
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<strong>For the salad:</strong>
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1. Shred the lettuce and both types of cabbage very finely, and chop the celery thinly. Peel the cucumber, quarter it lengthways, remove the seeds and chop it into thin pieces. Peel the carrot and cut it into thin matchsticks. Chop the parsley. Toss everything together in a large bowl.
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2. To make the dressing, thoroughly mix together the oil, lemon juice and honey
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I like to add a splash of cold water too. Season to taste.
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Serve a portion of the coronation chicken with a generous serving of salad, and dress the salad with a drizzle of the dressing.
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Variations:
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There are so many! Here are a few ideas:
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- Poaching the chicken is a gentle way to cook it, so that it remains moist and tender, but this recipe is a good way to use up leftover chicken from the Sunday roast if you have some.
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- You could try using quorn or tofu pieces instead of chicken to cater for vegetarians.
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- Try adding fresh mango cut into small pieces instead of the chutney. Or try using another fruit entirely, such as grapes or apricots.
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- To add the crunch, instead of the spring onion you could add red onion or shallots, or perhaps celery.
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- Some recipes suggest adding more heat to the dish by including a finely chopped fresh red chilli.
Cooks Note
Coronation chicken, a savoury dish traditionally made from cold chicken, curry or spices and fruit mixed in a creamy dressing, was first prepared, as the name suggests, for a banquet to celebrate the coronation of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth the Second in 1953.