Coronation chicken salad shown on a plate, with wooden utensils

Platinum Jubilee coronation chicken salad

Portion size: Serves 8
Hands-on time 20 min. Oven/grill time 45 min.
Difficulty: easy

Former acting food editor, delicious.

This refreshing salad is our Jubilee update on the original coronation chicken salad, invented for the Queen’s coronation in 1953. If the weather’s fine, cook the poussins on the barbecue.

Put together a celebration spread to remember with our Platinum Jubilee recipes.

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Ingredients

3 poussins, spatchcocked, or 8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
2 tbsp madras/curry powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sunflower oil

For the dressing

50g mayonnaise
100g thick greek yogurt
Small bunch mint, roughly chopped
4 tbsp mango chutney (we like Geeta’s)
4 spring onions, finely chopped
Grated zest 1 lemon

For the salad

250g golden beetroot, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice ½ lemon
1 tbsp honey
1 small radicchio or red endive, leaves separated
4 peaches, sliced into rounds or chunks
1 cucumber, cut into ribbonswith a peeler
80g pea shoots
Small bunch coriander, leaves picked
2 ready to eat poppadoms, broken up

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Method

Heat the oven to 200°C fan/gas 7. Rub the meat with the curry powder, salt and sunflower oil, then roast for 30-35 minutes until cooked through (the juices should run clear when the meat is pierced with a skewer in the thickest part of the thigh). If possible, turn the oven to grill for a final 10 minutes to crisp any skin and char the meat slightly (see Know How).
Meanwhile mix the dressing ingredients and season well.
Slice the beetroot into 5mm slices (a mandoline is useful for this, if you have one). In a bowl, toss the beet slices with the olive oil, lemon juice and honey, then leave to marinate while the meat finishes cooking.
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To finish the salad, spread the radicchio/endive over a platter. Drizzle with half the dressing and top with the peaches, cucumber and pea shoots.
Cut the warm poussins/chicken thighs into pieces with a strong knife, then arrange over the salad. Sprinkle over the coriander and poppadum pieces, then serve with the remaining dressing.

Nutrition

391kcals Calories
24.5g (5.2g saturated) Fat
22.9g Protein
17.4g (14.8g sugars) Carbs
4.5g Fibre
1.2g Salt

Make Ahead

Make the dressing and cook the poussins/ chicken the day before, then cover and chill. Arrange the salad just before serving.

Cook smarter

To spatchcock the poussins, cut out the back bone with meat scissors (or a boning knife), open out the rib cage, then put the bird open-side down on a board and press down on the breast bone to flatten. To barbecue the meat, cook over indirect heat (with the coals to one side) for 15 minutes on each side, plus an extra 10 minutes (skin-side down, for the poussins) to crisp/char, until the juices run clear.