The Queen of Coronation Chicken

Our Coronation Chicken has a little more freshness and light about it than the original, using a yoghurt base rather than buckets of heavy mayonnaise, and a garnish of fresh herbs, lemon wedges and a little salad. We left out the dried fruit (which appears terribly divisive), though a tablespoon of good mango chutney would be a fine addition to this recipe. This stray from tradition may get the most patriotic of eaters tutting their disagreement, but trust us - it’s bloody lovely.

For this recipe we poached a Ginger Pig 100-day cockerel, using the breast meat to make enough Coronation Chicken to serve four as a starter or light lunch, leaving the legs and a divine stock for the next day. If you're cooking for a crowd, just double the 'coronation' ingredients and use the juicy leg meat too.

The 100-day cockerels and pullets hit the shops on Thursday 31st May giving you plenty of time to 'coronate' one in time for Her Madge's big do.

Ginger Pig's Coronation Chicken

For poaching

4 bay leaves

4 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

Handful parsley stalks (you can use the leaves in your chicken broth the next day)

1tsp whole black peppercorns

1tsp salt

1 white onions, peeled and quartered

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 cockerel (a Ginger Pig 100-day pullet or a large free-range chicken would also work well), un-trussed

Water, to cover the chicken

  

To coronate

1tbsp tomato puree

½ tsp ground coriander

A large pinch cinnamon

1tsp cumin

½ garlic clove, very finely minced

2cm cube fresh ginger, very finely minced

250ml full fat natural or Greek yoghurt

1tbsp mayonnaise

1tbsp good mango chutney (optional)

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt to taste

To garnish

Fresh coriander leaves, picked and any huge ones torn in half

Fresh mint leaves, finely shredded

Fine slivers of red onion

A little cracked black pepper

Cherry tomatoes

Finely sliced cucumber

Lemon wedges

Sourdough or rye bread lightly toasted or super-fresh, soft white bread rolls

Method

1. Put all of the poaching ingredients in a large pot, ensuring the water just covers the bird.

2. Bring to a very gentle simmer and cook for two hours.

3. Remove the chicken from the pot and allow to rest for 15 minutes, before carving off the breasts in thick slices. Set the meat to one side to cool down, and don’t forget to refrigerate your chicken stock and legs once cool.

4. Mix together the sauce ingredients, combining everything except the yoghurt until smooth and then adding the yoghurt. Add salt to taste, and extra lemon juice if you like it tangy.

5. Roughly tear the breast meat into the sauce, and then either refrigerate until use (eat within two days) or pile everything straight onto your fanciest serving dish. Garnish with the fresh herbs, sliced onion and cracked pepper and place the cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, lemon wedges and bread around the plate for proper retro-tastic presentation.

Grab the Pimm’s or a glass of English fizz, sing the national anthem and dig in.