Coronation Chicken Sandwich

Coronation Chicken is an absolute British classic and here I’ll show you the easiest & most delicious way to make it!

When I tell you coronation chicken is running through my veins I truly mean it. Since I was a young warthog, coronation chicken has always been my go-to sandwich filler and without fail my go-to order at a sandwich shop. As great as store-bought coronation chicken is, you really can’t beat it homemade. Luckily it couldn’t be easier to make! Follow me…

Coronation Sauce

All great coronation chicken recipes start with a great coronation sauce. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Mayo – Full fat, of course.
• Greek Yogurt – A lot of coronation chicken recipes actually use 100% mayo for the base, but I like to go 50/50 with mayo and yogurt. Ensure it’s plain unsweetened yogurt.
• Curry Powder – Mild curry powder works best here, you want more of the flavour itself than the spice.
• Mango Chutney – More on this just below.
• Lemon Juice – Adds a vibrance to the sauce.

Coronation Chicken Mango Chutney

Mango chutney is an absolute game-changing ingredient. Coronation sauce should have 3 distinctive elements: Fruity, tangy and sweet. Mango chutney offers all 3 of these in one go. Most recipes add either 1 or 2 tbsp, but I like this to really shine through and offer those three elements, so I tend to add around 1/4 cup.

Coronation Sauce Consistency

In my opinion coronation chicken should be saucy. You know, the kind of saucy that begins to spill out the sandwich as you eat it. This is partly the reason I use half yogurt in the sauce – to help thin out the sauce without it being a mayo overload.

Process shots: add all ingredients to a bowl (photo 1), combine and test for seasoning (photo 2).

Coronation Chicken

For the chicken itself you’ll want to dice up some cooked rotisserie chicken. That, or you can fry up a couple of breasts, allow them to completely cool and dice them up. In both cases just make sure the chicken is cool before you mix in the sauce otherwise it’ll start congealing.

Coronation Chicken Filling

In terms of the filling, alongside the chicken and the sauce you’ll want to chuck in a few extra goodies. In order of importance here’s what I suggest:

• Sultanas – Or raisins. This is one of the most classic ingredients in coronation chicken!
• Spring Onion – Don’t sub any other onion. Spring onion is light enough in flavour not to overpower the coronation chicken, both in terms of texture and flavour.
• Coriander/Cilantro – This is optional, but highly recommended. If you absolutely hate coriander/cilantro you can leave it out.
• Flaked Almonds – These are optional, but they do add a nice bit of crunchy texture against the softer ingredients.

Another traditional ingredient in coronation chicken is apricot. I tend to leave this out though, I find it fruity enough with the sultanas and mango chutney.

Process shots: add chicken to a bowl (photo 1), add fillings (photo 2), pour in sauce and stir (photo 3).

Coronation Chicken Sandwich

Best bread to use?

If you’re reading this in the UK then you 100% need to use Tiger (or Giraffe) Bread. Mainly because it’s what I grew up using, but that chewy/textured crust 🤤 you just can’t beat it!! Sourdough makes a nice sub though.

Better be butter!

Buttering both sides of the bread helps create a barrier between the bread and the coronation chicken. Like I mentioned earlier, this recipe offers quite a ‘saucy’ coronation chicken, so butter works wonders here.

Process shots: slice bread (photo 1), spread butter (photo 2), add lettuce (photo 3), add coronation chicken (photo 4).

Can I make coronation chicken ahead of time?

Absolutely! I recommend just making the chicken (not the sandwich, it’ll go soggy if left too long). Just tightly cover in the fridge. This will actually help the flavours to develop too!

How long can you keep coronation chicken in the fridge?

This is completely dependent on how long you had the rotisserie chicken beforehand. If it’s cooked up and made the same day, I usually keep coronation chicken in the fridge for 3 days (longer at your discretion).

What to serve with a coronation chicken sandwich?

• Crisp/Chip Recommendation: I recommend a thick (preferably ridged) ready salted. This will give you a good scooping tool for any filling that spills, and it’ll let the coronation chicken shine without overpowering the flavour.
• Side Recommendation: Go wild and add some Garlic Parmesan Fries!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this coronation chicken sandwich shall we?!

How to make a Coronation Chicken Sandwich (Full Recipe & Video)

Coronation Chicken Sandwich

Coronation Chicken is an absolute British classic and here I'll show you the easiest & most delicious way to make it!

5 from 5 votes

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Course: lunch

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings (click & slide): 5 sandwiches

Calories per serving: 642kcal

Author: Chris

Cost per serving: £2.50 / $3

Equipment

• Small Mixing Bowl
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Spatula
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board

Ingredients

• 10 medium slices of Tiger Bread, or bread of choice
• 1 Iceberg Lettuce, finely sliced (or greens of choice)
• 2 packed cups / 300g Cooked/Leftover Rotisserie Chicken, diced into small cubes (see notes)
• 1/2 cup / 120g Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup / 120g Plain Unsweetened Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 cup / 60g Mango Chutney
• 1/4 cup / 40g Sultanas, or more to preference
• 1/4 cup / 30g Flaked Almonds, optional but recommended (leave out for allergy reasons)
• 1.5 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
• 2 medium Green/Spring Onions, finely diced
• 1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Coriander/Cilantro
• 1/2 Lemon juice only
• Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
• Butter, as needed

Instructions

• Sauce: In a small mixing bowl combine yogurt, mayo, mango chutney, curry powder, lemon juice and salt & pepper to taste.
• Coronation Chicken: In a larger mixing bowl add chicken, spring onion, coriander/cilantro, sultanas, flaked almonds and the sauce. Give it all a good stir then taste test. For a sweeter/fruiter/tangier flavour add a dash more chutney or for a kick more spice add in curry powder (or a pinch of cayenne/hot chilli powder).
• Sandwich: Spread one side of each of your slices of bread. Top half with lettuce, then dollop the coronation chicken on top. Place the remaining bread on top, slice in half and enjoy!

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Chicken - If you've not got leftover rotisserie chicken you can fry up fresh chicken, leave to completely cool, the dice up from there. 2 large chicken breasts (approx 14oz/400g total) will result in two packed cups of cooked diced chicken.

b) Make Ahead/Storage - You can absolutely make the filling ahead of time. Just tightly cover and store in the fridge until needed. The length of time it'll last in the fridge will depend on how long your rotisserie chicken has been leftover for. For chicken that's been cooked the days of making this, the coronation chicken will comfortably last 3 days (longer at your discretion).

c) Extras - For more fruitiness diced apricot is quite a traditional addition. If you want an extra crunch diced celery works well.

d) Calories - per sandwich (5 in total) assuming 2 tsp butter per sandwich:

Nutrition Facts

Coronation Chicken Sandwich

Amount Per Serving

Calories 642 Calories from Fat 307

% Daily Value*

Fat 34.15g53%

Saturated Fat 8.142g51%

Trans Fat 0.011g

Polyunsaturated Fat 13.209g

Monounsaturated Fat 10.114g

Cholesterol 145mg48%

Sodium 883mg38%

Potassium 834mg24%

Carbohydrates 36.45g12%

Fiber 4.5g19%

Sugar 13.99g16%

Protein 50.4g101%

Vitamin A 907IU18%

Vitamin C 9mg11%

Calcium 165mg17%

Iron 3.55mg20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*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.

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