My Mother's Coronation Chicken

We're still in Jubilee Season, and I wanted to share my mother's amazing Coronation Chicken recipe. This makes amazing garden-lunch or buffet food, and, with a sprig of herbs on top is fit for a feast. What is more, once you have the recipe, you can riff with your leftovers!

CORONATION CHICKEN

4-5lb chicken cooked, flesh removed

25g butter

1 small onion, finely diced

1 level tsp curry paste (or 2 heaped tsps medium hot curry powder)

1 level tbsp tomato puree

4 fl oz red wine (or 2 fl oz sherry + 2 fl oz water)

Juice of half a large lemon

4 canned apricots, chopped, or 4 tsps apricot jam

Half a pint of mayonnaise

5 fl oz whipping cream

Salt and pepper

Cucumber to garnish

How to: 

1. Saute onions in butter till soft.  Add curry powder or paste, tomato puree, wine or sherry and lemon juice.  Simmer uncovered for 10 mins till well reduced.  Strain and cool.
2. Whip cream till floppy.
3. Put mayonnaise, apricot puree, whipped cream and onion mixture in large mixing bowl.  Add seasoning and more lemon juice if necessary.  Add chopped chicken.  Put in fridge overnight (not essential, but allows flavours to develop!).
4. The thing is to get the texture and general flavour, so apricot jam could be replaced by chutney, for example.  I have a note to myself to make 1 ½ times the sauce quantity, so you might like to allow for that.

How to, part 2.

When I made this for the next day, I doubled the amount for stage 1 and set some aside. Add more vegetables (frozen or fresh spinach, fresh peppers, tomatoes, potatoes [for a real vindaloo i.e. curry with wine and potatoes]) , and prepare some yellow rice for a warm version.

How to, part 3.

An excellent way to use up left over roast chicken.