Coronation Chicken Curry

Coronation Chicken is an absolute British classic. This recipe takes a cold sandwich filler and turns it into a dreamy creamy coronation chicken style curry. Super quick and easy, this dish is sure to be on the table for your next family dinner!

Coronation Chicken

Coronation chicken is literally my child hood in a dish. You know those sandwich filler packs you get from the supermarkets? With some thick, chunky tiger bread? Yup, that’s the reason I’ve never had a six pack! But more positively that’s what has inspired this easy coronation chicken recipe I’m sharing will you today!

For those of you who are thinking ‘what is coronation chicken and why is this boy talking about sandwiches’ I’d be happy to clear things up.

What is Coronation Chicken?

Coronation chicken is traditionally a cold dish, often made with leftover chicken in a mayonnaise based dressing. The most common ingredients in such dressing alongside the mayo, is curry powder and some sort of fruity aspect, such as mango or sultanas. It’s insanely delicious, trust me.

Hot Coronation Chicken

As you can already tell, I’ve eaten enough coronation chicken to last me a lifetime, so it was time to take things to the next level. I’ve kept the same traditional flavours of coronation chicken, just altered the texture into a dreamy creamy curry that’s perfect to serve hot over rice for dinner.

Coronation Chicken Marinade

All good curries start with a marinade and this is no exception. The marinade serves 2 purposes:

1. Tenderizes the chicken.
2. Injects flavour into the chicken.

For this recipe we’re going with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Chicken thigh tends to be more flavoursome than breast. It’s also more difficult to overcook and tends to be slightly softer and more tender. You can however sub chicken breast if that’s what you’ve got on hand.

The marinade is incredibly simple and consists of plain yogurt, garlic & ginger and curry powder.

How long to marinate for?

A minimum of 1 hour, up until overnight. Even 30mins will work a treat! So as long as you have time for.

Coronation Chicken Curry

Once you’ve marinated the chicken it’s on to the curry. As far as ‘curry in a hurry’ goes this is pretty darn close from here on out. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Curry Powder
• Green/Spring Onion & Coriander/Cilantro
• Sultanas & Mango Chutney
• Giner & Garlic
• Chicken Stock & Heavy Cream
• Yogurt

Serving Coronation Chicken Curry

When it comes to serving, as I mentioned earlier it goes fantastically with rice.

I have addressed this in the recipe notes, but I’ll say it again – don’t forget the toasted flaked almonds. I know, look how pretentious I’ve become! Pre-food blogger Chris wouldn’t even know what an almond was, let alone one that’s been toasted and flaked! But all jokes aside they compliment this dish beautifully. Not only do they add a nice little crunch, but the flavour blends so well with the other ingredients. So unless you have an allergy, they’re definitely a must 🙂

If you’re looking for the cold (classic) sandwich filler coronation chicken check out my Coronation Chicken Recipe or Coronation Chicken Pasta Salad!
If you like the sound of this curry then definitely check out my Slow Cooker Chicken Curry (Tikka Masala Style)!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this coronation chicken shall we?!

How to make Coronation Chicken Curry (Full Recipe & Video)

Coronation Chicken Curry

Coronation Chicken is an absolute British classic. This recipe takes a cold sandwich filler and turns it into a dreamy creamy coronation chicken style curry. Super quick and easy, this dish is sure to be on the table for your next family dinner!

5 from 6 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 4

Course: Dinner / Main Course

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes

Marinating: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 488kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £2 / $2.50

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Equipment:

• Medium Mixing Bowl & Cling Film (for marinade)
• Large Deep Frying Pan, Tongs & Wooden Spoon (for curry)
• Large Bowl (for storing cooked chicken)
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Serving Spoon

Ingredients (check list):

Chicken Marinade

• ▢ 1.2lb / 600g boneless skinless Chicken Thighs diced in to bite sized chunks
• ▢ 1 cup / 240ml full fat Plain Yoghurt
• ▢ 1 tbsp Curry Powder (I use 'medium')
• ▢ 1 tsp Ginger, minced/very finely diced
• ▢ 1 tsp Garlic, minced/very finely diced
• ▢ 1 tsp Salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Sauce

• ▢ 1 cup / 240ml Double/Heavy Cream, at room temp
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 120ml Chicken Stock
• ▢ 1/4 cup / 80g Mango Chutney
• ▢ 1/4 cup / 60g full fat Plain Yogurt
• ▢ 1/4 cup / 40g Sultanas
• ▢ 2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Coriander/Cilantro, plus more to serve if desired
• ▢ 2 large Spring Onions, finely diced
• ▢ 1 tbsp Curry Powder (I use 'medium)
• ▢ 1 tsp Ginger, minced/very finely diced
• ▢ 1 tsp Garlic, minced/very finely diced
• ▢ squeeze of Lemon Juice, (up to half a lemon)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Oil for frying, plus more as needed (vegetable, canola, sunflower)
• ▢ Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

To serve

• ▢ Rice
• ▢ Toasted Flaked Almonds
• ▢ Coriander/Cilantro
• ▢ Flatbreads

Instructions:

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the diced chicken with garlic, ginger, curry powder, salt & pepper. Pour in the yoghurt and stir to combine. Cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for 2-24 hours. Take out the fridge around 30mins before needed. If you're pushed for time just marinate at room temp for 30mins.
• Add 1 tbsp oil to a large pan over high heat. Use tongs to transfer half of the chicken to the pan and spread it out so each piece has a little room (don't pour in the marinade, just the chicken). Leave to fry for a few mins until it begins to char, then flip each piece and continue frying until lightly charred on the other side (a little char = extra flavour). The chicken should just about be cooked through (will continue cooking in a sec). Remove the chicken and place it in a bowl to one side, then scrape out any large bits of char and repeat with the second batch, adding more oil if needed.
• Remove the second batch then lower the heat to medium. Add in a dash of oil if needed, then add ginger, garlic, sultanas and spring onion. Fry for a couple of mins to soften. Stir in 1 tbsp curry powder and toast for a minute or so. Stir in chicken stock and cream, then stir in yoghurt, mango chutney and coriander/cilantro. Stir the chicken back in and bring to a gentle simmer.
• Allow everything to bubble away for around 10mins until the sauce thickens, stirring somewhat frequently. Finish by stirring through a squeeze of lemon juice, then check for seasoning and adjust if needed. The lemon just brightens up the dish and cuts through the richness of the cream.
• Serve over rice with toasted flaked almonds and coriander/cilantro over the top.

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Marinating - Even if you're in a rush/forgot to set a marinade in the fridge, still do try and marinate the chicken, even if just for 20/30 mins. If you're only marinating this long just leave at room temp. Chicken needs to be at or close to room temp before frying.

b) Chicken Breast - Feel free to sub for chicken breast. I use chicken thighs as they tend to be slightly more tender and have more flavour to them, so if you are using chicken breast I'd definitely recommend marinating.

c) Frying - It's important to ensure the oil is hot, hence the use of vegetable/canola oil (much higher smoking point than olive oil). You just want the chicken to take on colour, so don't panic if it's not cooked all the way through. It will continue cooking when resting and added back into the sauce. I find it easiest to add and remove with a pair of tongs.

d) Flaked Almonds - Try not to think of these as just garnish, they add a nice crunch to the dish and combine beautifully with the other ingredients. Of course you can leave them out for allergy reasons, it will still be delish!

e) Leftovers - I've just polished some off about 5 minutes ago straight from the fridge between two slices of bread. Also reheats perfectly!

f) Calories - Based on the following: 1 tbsp vegetable oil, without rice and without the yogurt. Marinades are really difficult to calculate as there's no way to tell how much remains on the chicken. However, plain yogurt is relatively low fat/low cal so shouldn't alter the calories too much!

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Coronation Chicken Curry

Amount Per Serving

Calories 488 Calories from Fat 293

% Daily Value*

Fat 32.5g50%

Saturated Fat 15.8g79%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.8g

Monounsaturated Fat 11.1g

Cholesterol 242mg81%

Sodium 358mg15%

Potassium 651mg19%

Carbohydrates 14.1g5%

Fiber 1.4g6%

Sugar 9.8g11%

Protein 37.6g75%

Vitamin A 3550IU71%

Vitamin C 71.8mg87%

Calcium 70mg7%

Iron 1.8mg10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

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