Royal celebrations would not feel complete without festive food to mark the occasion and Melissa Clark has just the recipe for Saturday's coronation.
As King Charles prepares to be crowned in Westminster Abbey, royal enthusiasts with an interest in the affairs across the pond may recognize this ceremonial dish that was first created for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953.
Clark, a cookbook author and New York Times Cooking columnist, joined "Good Morning America" on Tuesday to share this recipe that's pantry-friendly and perfect for Americans watching the ceremony from home.
"It's a posh chicken salad," Clark said. Poaching the chicken takes the longest, but she said that yields a flavorful chicken broth that can be used for soup and other dishes.
"It's all about the curry dressing," Clark said. "Curry powder and curry paste -- use both for the most flavor."
"And we're gonna make it fancy, so cut the crust off," she suggested.
"Coronation chicken salad is an easy, pantry-friendly dish, loosely based on a posh, classically French chicken recipe that was created to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. This is the recipe you’d find during its heyday in Britain in the 1980s: a curried chicken salad loaded with dried fruit, mango chutney and sliced almonds, usually served as a sandwich filling or on top of baked potatoes. Debates rage over whether to include diced apricots or golden raisins (also called sultanas), but since each works well with the other flavors, you can use whichever you like. If you want a more intensely golden color, stir in 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric with the curry. And if you’re starting with leftover cooked chicken or a rotisserie chicken (you’ll need 6 cups), just skip Step 1."
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
For the Chicken:
3 1/2 to 4 pounds bone-in chicken parts (all breasts or a combination of parts)
1 tablespoon fine sea or table salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 onion
1 cinnamon stick
For the Salad:
1/2 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade, plus more as needed
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche
3 tablespoons mango chutney (any large mango pieces chopped smaller), plus more to taste
1 tablespoon curry paste or powder (such as Madras), plus more to taste
1/3 cup diced dried apricots or golden raisins
3 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice, more to taste
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems, or scallions
Fine sea or table salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Prepare the chicken: In a large saucepan or soup pot, combine the chicken, salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, onion and cinnamon stick. Add enough water to cover everything by 1 inch, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Let simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let chicken cool in the broth.
Transfer cooled chicken to a cutting board, reserving the broth for another use. Pull the meat off the bones, discarding skin, and shred or dice the meat into bite-size pieces.
Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, chutney, curry paste or powder, dried apricots or raisins, and lemon or lime juice, mixing well. Fold in the chicken, almonds, cilantro or scallion, and a little more mayonnaise if the mixture seems dry.
Taste and add more curry paste or powder. (You may end up doubling the amount; the flavors of curry pastes and powders vary widely.) Add more chutney, lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper as needed. For the best flavor, let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. It will keep for up to three days in the fridge.
Recipe reprinted with permission courtesy of The New York Times.