Coronation chicken or Poulet Reine Elizabeth is a combination of cold cooked

chicken meat Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world. Owing to the relative ease and low cost of raising chickens—in comparison to mammals such as cattle or hogs—chicken meat (commonly called just "chicken") and chicken eggs have becom ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s and

spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...

s, and a creamy

mayonnaise Mayonnaise (; ), colloquially referred to as "mayo" , is a thick, cold, and creamy sauce or dressing commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, composed salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various other sauces, such as tartar ...

-based sauce. It can be eaten as a

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed, mostly natural ingredients with at least one raw ingredient. They are typically served at room temperature or chilled, though some can be served warm. Condiments and salad dressings, which exist in a va ...

or used to fill

sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...

es.

Composition

Coronation chicken sandwich unwrapped 01

Normally bright yellow, coronation chicken is usually flavoured with

curry powder Curry powder is a spice mix originating from the Indian subcontinent where it is typically called garam masala. History Key ingredients of curry powder consist of ginger, garlic, fennel, mace, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric ...

or paste, although more sophisticated versions of the recipe are made using fresh herbs and spices and additional ingredients such as flaked

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the d ...

s, and

crème fraîche Crème fraîche (English pronunciation: , , lit. "fresh cream") is a dairy product, a soured cream containing 10–45% butterfat, with a pH of approximately 4.5., p. 181''f'' It is soured with a bacterial culture. European labeling regulations ...

. The original dish calls for dried apricot and not raisins, and uses curry powder instead of Indian curry paste made from scratch, as fresh Indian curry spices were almost unobtainable in post-war Britain.

History

Constance Spry Constance Spry (née Fletcher, previously Marr; 5 December 1886 – 3 January 1960) was a British educator, florist and author in the mid-20th century. Life Constance Fletcher was born in Derby in 1886, eldest child and only daughter of Geor ...

, an English food writer and flower arranger, and

Rosemary Hume Rosemary Ethel Hume (1907 – 1984) was an English cook and writer. She taught at ''Le Cordon Bleu'' cookery school in London, and co-devised coronation chicken in 1953. Life Hume was born in Sevenoaks. She was one of the first British people ...

, a chef, both principals of the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London, are credited with the invention of coronation chicken. Preparing the food for the banquet of the

coronation of Queen Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

in 1953, Spry proposed the recipe of cold chicken, curry cream sauce and dressing that would later become known as coronation chicken. Coronation chicken may have been inspired by

jubilee chicken Jubilee chicken can refer to one of several chicken dishes created to celebrate the jubilees of different British monarchs. Silver Jubilee chicken Jubilee chicken was created for the Silver Jubilee of George V in 1935, and was based on chicken dr ...

, a dish prepared for the silver jubilee of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

in 1935, which mixed chicken with

and curry. Additionally, for

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

in 2002, another celebratory dish was devised, also called

Jubilee chicken Jubilee chicken can refer to one of several chicken dishes created to celebrate the jubilees of different British monarchs. Silver Jubilee chicken Jubilee chicken was created for the Silver Jubilee of George V in 1935, and was based on chicken dr ...

References

External links

Recipe for the original Coronation Chicken
by Andrea Soranidis (Author and Food Blogger)
Blog post on the origins and whether it has links to the Coronation Sussex breed of chicken

History of Coronation Chicken
by James McIntosh (Food Writer) {{Chicken dishes, state=collapsed British cuisine British sandwiches British chicken dishes Coronation of Elizabeth II Indian cuisine in the United Kingdom Curry dishes

Composition

History

See also

References

External links