Coronation Chicken Recipe Sultanas

Coronation chicken is an absolute British classic. There’s a few different ways to make and serve it, but today I’ll show you how I make mine. I’ve kept its traditional roots in tact so if you’re new to this dish you’re in safe hands 😉. Follow me…

When I tell you this stuff is running through my veins I truly mean it. This is actually one of the first recipes I ever made, and it’s still one I make to this day. Just quickly, for those new around here:

Coronation chicken is a cold chicken salad, most commonly served as a sandwich filler, but can also be seen in leafy salads and baked potatoes. It’s believed to have been created in the 1950s when it was created and served to Elizabeth II at a banquet.

Sainsbury's Coronation Chicken Deli Filler 220g

I’m a firm believer that coronation chicken should have a saucy consistency. As such, it’s important that the sauce itself is full of flavour. Here’s what you’ll need:

I like to make the sauce separate then incorporate it with everything else. This way you get more of an even distribution of ingredients and can easily adjust seasoning if needed. You can also make the sauce ahead of time and store in the fridge until needed!

Once the sauce is ready to rock and roll it’s all plain sailing from there. For the chicken itself you’ll want to use rotisserie chicken. That or you can fry up some chicken breasts, leave to cool and dice up from there. In both cases though it’s important the chicken is cold or room temp. If it’s still warm it’ll make the sauce go gloopy.

Celebrate King Charles Iii With Our Coronation Chicken Recipe

Yep! You’ll find making ahead of time will actually allow the flavours to marry a little more. Just be aware as it rests it becomes less saucy, where the chicken begins to soak up the sauce.

This depends on how long you’ve had the cooked chicken for. Chicken cooked the day of making this means the coronation chicken will comfortably last 3 days tightly covered in the fridge, longer at your discretion.

There’s a few different ways you can serve coronation chicken. Typically you’ll find it in two contexts here in the UK. First is in a sandwich filler, often found in supermarkets. Second is at a baguette/sandwich shop or some sort of deli. If you’re serving it in a sandwich I recommend Giraffe or Tiger Bread (something with a nice crust) and only add iceberg lettuce and butter. That’s how I always serve mine. You don’t need anything else!

Cold Pressed Oil

Two other ways to serve coronation chicken are on a baked potato or with a leafy salad. Heck just grab a spoon already, I’m starving! 🤪

A) Chicken - Leftover rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breasts (both cooled) work great here. If you've only got raw chicken, you can fry or bake that. 2 large chicken breasts (around 14oz/200g each) will equate to 2 packed cups of cooked cubed chicken.

B) Can I make this ahead of time? - Yep! Just tightly cover in the fridge and serve cold. How long depends on how long you originally had the cooked chicken. Chicken cooked on the day of making this will last 3 days in the fridge, longer at your discretion.

Royal Recipe: Queen's Original Coronation Chicken Doesn't Have One Iconic Ingredient

C) To Serve - I usually serve this in a sandwich or baguette (two most traditional ways) but a baked potato is rather tasty! 

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.

If you loved this Coronation Chicken recipe then be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a question? Give me a shout in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!Coronation chicken is a British classic for a very good reason, and this 5-minute recipe couldn’t be easier. Sweet, spicy creamy sauce mixed with shredded chicken might sound strange, but it’s a seriously delicious combination, perfect for salads, sandwiches or wraps. It’s also a wonderful way to use up leftover roast chicken.

Healthy Diamond Coronation Chicken

This recipe keeps things SUPER simple by using cooked chicken (it’s also the perfect use for any leftover juicy herb-roasted chicken), but you can cook fresh chicken if you like, and I’ve included instructions for that in the recipe card.

Originally created by Le Cordon Bleu as part of the celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, coronation chicken has become a classic British dish, evolving slightly to become what we commonly recognise today. It’s most often used as a filling for sandwiches or wraps, but it’s also great tossed through a crunchy green or grain salad (or even just by itself!)

My favourite way to serve it is in gem or cos lettuce cups, which is what you’ll see in the photos below. This is a lovely fresh way to serve it and makes for a very tasty lunch.

Coronation Chicken Sandwich

Mix all the ingredients for the coronation sauce, then shred your chicken (or cook it according to the recipe in the notes below).

Combine the shredded chicken, coronation sauce, sliced spring onions and nigella seeds then mix well so that everything is well-coated in the sauce.

It’s now ready to serve. I love to pile it into little gem lettuce cups – they make a lovely crunchy and fresh vessel for the chicken. But you can use it however you like – in a sandwich, piled onto toast, tossed through a salad or as a topping for a baked jacket potato.

Classic Coronation Chicken Recipe

You can use whatever cut you like here – I’m using leftover chicken breast, but you could use chicken thighs or tenderloin.

The original recipe was created by Le Cordon Bleu to be served at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation luncheon in 1953. At that time, it was called Poulet Reine Elizabeth and was chicken served in a curry cream sauce. Over time, it’s developed into what we now commonly recognise as coronation chicken, usually served cold or at room temperature.

I love serving it inside a little lettuce leaf because it provides lovely freshness and crunch, but it’s great in sandwiches, inside baked potatoes or tossed through salads.

Classic Coronation Chicken

HOW TO COOK YOUR CHICKEN: To poach your chicken breasts, fill a pot you have a lid for with enough water to properly cover the chicken and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add your chicken then put the lid on and bring it back to a boil (the chicken will drop the temperature of the water). Once it’s boiling again, remove the pot from the heat and leave the chicken in the pot for 20 minutes. After this time, carefully remove it, then follow the rest of the recipe. To bake your chicken breasts, heat your oven to 180C/360F fan, then place the chicken on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then bake for 20 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut into it, or, if you have a meat thermometer, the centre of the chicken hits 75C/165F. Remove from the oven and continue with the recipe.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: This is going to depend on when you cooked the chicken you’re using – chicken is fine for 4 days after cooking, stored in the fridge. If you’re using leftover chicken, the coronation chicken isn’t going to last as long as it will if you cook the chicken fresh.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I love to serve this in gem lettuce leaves as little cups, but you can use the chicken as a sandwich filler (it would be lovely with no-knead focaccia or no-knead rosemary parmesan bread), as a topping for green salads or on top of a baked jacket potato.

Hot Coronation Chicken Baguette

SUBSTITUTIONS: I love using egg-free aioli in this recipe, but you can use regular aioli or mayo. Swap the spring onions (scallions) for mint leaves, flat-leaf parsley or coriander (cilantro, and use black or white sesame seeds in place of the nigella seeds. You could use chopped almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts or dukkah instead of flaked almonds, or make it nut-free by swapping the almonds for pumpkin (pepita) seeds or sunflower seeds.

I’m Kate, the creator behind Dished. I love creating flavour packed, simple (ish) recipes for you, designed for every day and special occasions.