Coronation Chicken Easy Recipe

Is Coronation Chicken the tastiest sandwich (and possibly even baked potato) filling ever? I’m saying hard yes. It was an absolute joy when I went for a fancy afternoon tea last Christmas and finger sandwiches with this filling were presented. Just THE BEST. This homemade version has a creamy, tangy, nutty and slightly curried flavour, the unique creation that is Coronation Chicken is a tasty treat, but it’s also SO easy to recreate.

Why you’ll love this Coronation Chicken recipe

⭐️ Tried-and-tested simple recipe with loads of flavour ⭐️ Ready in about 20 minutes ⭐️ Elevates any picnic, special lunch or just your average sandwich! Typically, this dish involves poaching the chicken, but I always like to roast chicken breasts instead because:

It gives an additional layer of flavour to the meat Chicken breasts are easier to handle than a whole chicken

Once we’ve roasted our meat, we’re simply chopping it up and mixing the chicken chunks with the rest of the ingredients, which are regular store cupboard basics too… and that’s it! Of course, you can always use this recipe as a way of using up your leftover roast chicken too if you have any. I know a lot of Coronation Chicken recipes these days use sultanas, but I use dried apricots instead as I prefer the texture (this is also truer to the original version of the dish).

Where does Coronation Chicken come from?

Coronation Chicken was created to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne in 1953 at the Le Cordon Bleu London cookery school. As part of our recent history, ‘Poulet Reine Elizabeth’ has become much-loved and its popularity continues today. How and why the official coronation dish took this form is quite fascinating, from the fact it had to be a cold dish because of the kitchen wasn’t big enough at the Westminster School – where food was served to foreign representatives attending the event – to the fact that it was created as the UK was still in the thick of post-World War II rationing, so would have been seen as luxurious. Read more about it here on Le Cordon Bleu London. In the freezer Coronation chicken isn’t suitable for freezing as the yoghurt and mayonnaise mixture can split on defrosting. You could however cook and freeze the roasted chicken part in advance. Then defrost and add the dressing. As well as the traditional sarnie, you could also enjoy it in wraps or flatbreads, with a salad or even in a jacket potato. It’s up to you how you prefer to eat this. You can either chop the chicken into chunks to the size you like it, or you can shred it up with two forks once it’s been cooked.