Coronation Chicken Sandwich

5 from 3 votes

This Coronation chicken sandwich filling is loaded with gentle aromatic spice and tangy fruit flavours. It is easy to make and takes less than 15 minutes to put together.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Afternoon tea, lunch

Cuisine: British, English

Servings:

Calories: 562kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Ingredients

150 grams Cooked chicken breast (skinless, boneless)
3 Dried apricots
1 Celery stick
4 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
1½ tablespoons Curry paste mild or medium pastes work best (see notes)
1½ tablespoons Mango chutney
⅛-¼ teaspoon Salt
⅛ teaspoon Black pepper
1½ teaspoon Lemon juice
1 handful Watercress
4-6 slices Bread depending on how large they are and if crusts are removed

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Check the jar of curry paste. If it states that the paste needs to be cooked and cannot be eaten straight from the jar place it in a small pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for around 1 minutes until hot and aromatic. Set aside to cool.
Measure the mayonnaise, yoghurt, curry paste, mango chutney, lemon juice and salt & pepper into a bowl. Mix well (if the chutney is very chunky, consider briefly blitzing the mixture with a stick blender). Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary
Dice the chicken into small pieces
Wipe the celery clean and dice finely
Chop the apricots into small pieces
Add the chicken, celery and apricots to the dressing and mix in
Optional: remove the crusts from the slices of bread
Place a generous amount of sandwich filling onto 1 slice of bread (exact amounts will vary according to the size of your bread slices) and scatter a little watercress over the top. Wipe some dressing over another slice of bread (to help it stick to the watercress) and place on top of the other so that the filling is in the centre
Repeat the above step with any remaining bread and sandwich filling
Slice as desired and serve straight away

Notes

Expert Tips

If you do not have pre-cooked chicken then it will be necessary to poach the fillet and allow it to cool before proceeding with the recipe
Alternatively, use leftover chicken meat - shredded or chopped is fine
Taste the dressing and add more curry paste/ lemon juice/ seasoning according to your own taste preferences. I've opted for a mild heat level, more focussed on adding aromatic spices than on serving up a fiery sandwich
On this note, if you know your curry paste/ powder is especially hot, add less than the recipe specifies, taste and then add more if desired
The exact number of sandwiches the recipe makes will depend on the size of the bread slices being used. It should easily make 2 rounds of sandwiches using standard sized bread
If making dainty sandwiches for afternoon tea expect this recipe to make around 8 rectangles (as shown in the photos)
Almost any bread will do well with this sandwich filling. Standard white, wholemeal or brown loves work a treat for afternoon tea style sandwiches. But crusty bread or baguettes will also make a fantastic vessel for it too.

Make it Gluten-Free

Simply use gluten-free bread and proceed with the rest of the recipe as listed

Make it Vegan

Replace the chicken with roasted chickpeas and use vegan mayonnaise and yoghurt in place of the dairy ingredients listed

Make it in Advance

The sandwich filling can be made up to two days in advance. Once mixed cover and keep refrigerated.

Sandwiches are always best consumed fresh, but if you do want to make them ahead of time (up to 24 hours) they will need to be well wrapped to avoid the bread drying out. Store them in the fridge but bring them out 30-60 minutes before serving to take the chill off the bread

Nutrition