Coronation chicken - Definition and Overview

Coronation chicken is a dish generally used to fill sandwiches and rolls in the United Kingdom. It was first created by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. Spry published the recipe in the popular Constance Spry Cookery Book of 1956. Spry was almost certainly inspired by jubilee chicken, a dish prepared for the silver jubilee of George V in 1935, which mixed the chicken in mayonnaise and curry. Other, older recipes for cold chicken and curry sauce also exist, so the origin of the dish could date back even further. Furthermore, following in this pattern, for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2004, another celebratory dish was devised, also called jubilee chicken.

After the Coronation on 2 June 1953 a Coronation Banquet was held at Buckingham Palace. This dish was amongst those served, and the name and recipe are still in popular use.

Coronation chicken is a combination of herbs and spices, with precooked cold chicken meat and a creamy mayonnaise-based sauce. Normally a bright yellow colour, coronation chicken is traditionally flavoured with curry powder or sauce; although today more sophisticated versions of the recipe are often made, using fresh herbs and spices, and adding new ingredients such as almonds, raisins and crème fraîche. The original popular dish was created with simple curry powder as fresh curry spices were, in post-war Britain, almost unobtainable.

It was designed to be served cold, so that the public did not have to cook a hot meal on the day of the Coronation.

External link

• Pret a Manger - Coronation chicken (http://www.pret.com/menu/sandwiches/1561.shtm)