Elizabeth II's Coronation Chicken

A book I was reading this week inspired me to begin a new Blog Series. Tentative title: EDIT THE BLASTED BOOK! A Handbook for Indie Authors. (Nuff said.) Before embarking on that major chore, however, here is the promised Coronation Chicken recipe, which was printed in The Orlando Sentinel, February 1, 2012. According to the article, it was created by Constance Spry, a society florist and author, and chef Rosemary Hume for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation lunch in 1953. If you like your chicken from KFC, you may find this recipe a bit challenging.

Note: This is a cold chicken recipe.

1 chicken (5 pounds), poached
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon each: curry paste, tomato paste
½ cup red wine
1 bay leaf
Juice from ½ lemon
4 canned apricot halves
1¼ cups mayonnaise
½ cup whipping cream
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Watercress

Grace note: Before following the instructions below, please note that the chicken is supposed to be poached!

1. Remove the skin from the chicken. Cut meat into small pieces. Broil until golden brown. Allow to cool.

2. Heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add onion; cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add curry and tomato pastes, wine, bay leaf and lemon juice. Lower the heat; simmer uncovered until reduced, about 10 minutes. Strain; let sauce cool.

3. Puree apricots through a sieve or with a blender. Place in a bowl; mix in mayonnaise. Add cooled sauce; mix well. Whip cream to stiff peaks; fold into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more lemon juice if needed.

4. Fold in the broiled chicken pieces, coating them well with the mixture. Garnish with watercress.

~ * ~

It sounds great, but I can't quite imagine taking the time to do all that. I wonder if baby apricot puree would do . . . Heresy, I know. But if anyone tries it, please let me know.

Coming soon (I hope): the first installment of EDIT THE BLASTED BOOK!

Thanks for stopping by.

Grace, who writes as Blair Bancroft & edits as Best Foot Forward
www.blairbancroft.com - editsbyBFF@aol.com - @blairbancroft