Food - Drink
How Coronation Chicken Was Invented For Queen Elizabeth II
By MEGGAN ROBINSON
Queen Elizabeth II’s passing on September 9th, 2022 marked the end of an era, but when Her Majesty was coronated in 1953 a British culinary classic was created in her honor. Let’s take a look at the ingredients of Coronation Chicken and how the dish has evolved over time.
The classic recipe consists of chicken poached with bouquet Garni, in a sauce of onions, curry, tomato, red wine, and lemon juice; later, mayonnaise, whipped cream, and apricot purée are added. The dish was served chilled so it could be prepared ahead of time, and it originally appeared on the coronation banquet menu as "Poulet Reine Elizabeth."
Nowadays, Coronation Chicken is ubiquitous in England, found in grocery stores and in many recipe books. KFC in the UK even offered a limited-time menu item: the Coronation Chicken Tower Burger, a chicken sandwich topped with "coronation mayo" and was billed as "fresh outta Cluckingham Palace." The recipe remains a great way to use leftover chicken in kitchens around the world.