Coronation Chicken Salad was created by chefs of the Cordon Bleu Cookery School for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It is the result of Anglo Indian cuisine developed during the British Raj in India in the 1930's.
I was inspired to make this chicken salad after reading the Arctic Curry Club....
This novel follows Maya as she follows her boyfriend to the Arctic. Maya was raised in Great Britain by her English father who had married an Indian woman and would have probably remained there had she not died when Maya was young.
Maya has no memories of her mother or her life prior to moving back to England with her father. She suffers debilitating anxiety and has become completely reliant on her boyfriend, Ryan, causing her to believe that living in the Arctic with him is better than living in Great Britain without him.
Shortly after moving to the Arctic, Maya's father informs her that he is moving back to India as he has established a relationship with a dear family friend who has recently been widowed. This family friend, Uma, was very close to Maya's mother and sends Maya the recipe book containing her mother's handwritten recipes.
As Maya begins reading, making and tasting the recipes she is flooded with memories that serve to overwhelm her.
When I first started reading this novel, I wasn't sure I was going to like Maya. She was very needy and insecure and instead of working on getting her anxiety under control, she decided to go off her medication and rely instead on a man to take care of her and her needs.
This kind of blew up in her face when her boyfriend, Ryan, decided she was too much work and found someone else on whom to devote his attention, leaving Maya to fend for herself in country that was dark 24/7 and filled with bitter cold and polar bears.
This ended up being a good thing for Maya (and a good thing for me, as a reader of this novel) as she was forced to pull herself up by the bootstraps, remember the trauma she suffered and take steps to deal with them and get on with her life.
Maya ends up starting an Arctic Curry Club where she invites guests for dinner and serves them recipes from her mother, including Coronation Chicken.
I ended up liking Maya very much. I also liked this chicken salad very much. I started with a store bought rotisserie chicken that I brought up to the cottage on Lake Huron that we are currentlly enjoying.
We have the cottage until next Wednesday, however we will be leaving early and returning home on Sunday as the contractor is ready to begin demolition on the kitchen on Monday morning....wooohoooo.
We have folks coming in and out for the duration of our visit so my Menu reflects that for the first few days and then reflects cooking without a kitchen for the rest of the week.
Coronation Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 t. olive oil
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 t. mild curry powder
- 1 t. tomato paste
- 2 T. red wine
- 2 T. water
- pinch of sugar
- 2 t. lemon juice
- 1/4 c. Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise
- 2 T. heavy cream
- 1 cooked chicken breast, diced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small skillet, over med low heat, cook the shallot, bay leaf and curry powder in olive oil, stirring often for a minute or two.
- Stir in the tomato paste. Add the wine and water and bring to a gentle boil.
- Stir in the lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly reduced. Strain through a sieve and allow to cool.
- Whisk together the Miracle Whip and heavy cream. Add the cooled curry mixture and whisk until smooth and combined. Fold in the chicken. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Serve on bread of choice, on a lettuce leaf or hollowed out tomato.
Notes
Adapted from a recipe found at The Petite Cook
Nutrition Facts
Calories
290.11Fat (grams)
14.03Sat. Fat (grams)
5.16Carbs (grams)
9.89Fiber (grams)
1.5Net carbs
8.39Sugar (grams)
5.82Protein (grams)
27.79Sodium (milligrams)
443Cholesterol (grams)
92.92
Looks delicious, Hope your vacation was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying it Cathy.
DeleteSounds like an interesting premise for a novel. Love this chicken salad!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great recipe and an easy read Debra.
DeleteThis sounds yummy! Might have to make this! Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Colleen
ReplyDeleteIt is delicious Colleen.
Delete