Sunshine, garden parties, floral dresses, sun hats, Chelsea, Pimm’s. It’s coronation chicken time again.

The dish most associated with the Queen’s Coronation on this day in 1953 was served at a celebratory luncheon to honour the Commonwealth Heads of State. Famously, Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume chose to include such “foreign” ingredients as curry powder and mango in a creamy dressing for poached chicken in a subtle salute to the international nature of the guest list. It proved to be a winner and is now a much-loved cliché of the British summer.

Deservedly so, because it can be made ahead of time and set out with the sort of effortless charm demanded by a garden party or summer picnic. We may not be able to picnic our way through the working week, but why keep such a good dish for the weekend?

This version teams chicken with a lighter sauce than the original, and does not use any cream. If you like a sweeter sauce, use apricot conserve; if you like it spicier, use an apricot or mango chutney. If you can poach the chicken during the day and leave it to cool in the poaching liquid, it will taste better than refrigerated cooked chicken. If you pick up a cooked bird on the way home, that’s fine too. And if you can eat it in the garden, even better.

Ingredients
Serves 4

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 10 min

(Any leftover chicken will make terrific sandwiches for the following day.)

Cooked chicken, for four
Fresh coriander or parsley

Sauce

1tbsp vegetable oil
2 small red shallots, finely diced
1tsp medium curry powder
1tsp tomato purée
100ml white wine
Sea salt and pepper
100g mayonnaise
100g thick Greek-style yoghurt
2tbsp apricot conserve or mango chutney

METHOD: Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the shallots gently for a few minutes, stirring. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

Add the tomato purée, wine, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes, then simmer, uncovered, for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leave to cool (strain if you prefer a smoother sauce).

Combine the mayonnaise, yoghurt and apricot conserve or chutney. Beat in the cooled liquid a tablespoon at a time until you have the coating consistency that you want. Taste for salt, pepper and curry flavour. Shred or finely slice the chicken and lightly toss in the sauce. Arrange the chicken on a large platter and scatter with coriander or parsley. Serve with a salad of potatoes, rice, couscous or green leaves.

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