Contemporary Coronation chicken

“Here Margaret Fulton’s granddaughter shows us her modern take on a classic 1950s English salad first made in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. You can serve the recipe canapé-style, as we have done here, or as a large shared salad with the pappadums passed separately.” Rachel Khoo, Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook Melbourne

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 litre homemade chicken stock
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 2 cm piece ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, halved lengthways and seeds scraped out
• 3 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch coriander, washed well, leaves picked and stalks finely chopped
• 45 g (⅓ cup) slivered almonds
• 40 g (¼ cup) sesame seeds
• 1½ tbsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp good quality or homemade mayonnaise
• 2  limes
• 60 ml (¼ cup) ghee or rice bran oil
• 12 small pappadums
• 1 mango, peeled
• 1 celery stalk, cut into julienne
• 2 small red chillies, thinly sliced

Instructions

Place the stock, peppercorns, bay leaves, ginger and chicken breasts in a medium saucepan, making sure the chicken is covered with the stock. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook at a gentle simmer for 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stand the chicken in the stock for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the liquid and place on a board to rest. Strain the stock and pour into an airtight container, then cool and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for 3 months.

Meanwhile, cut the cucumbers into 1 cm cubes and place in a large bowl. Using your fingers, shred the cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces, then add to the cucumber with the spring onions and coriander stalks.

Place the almonds in a small frying pan and shake over low heat until golden. Add the sesame seeds and garam masala and shake gently for 30-60 seconds or until fragrant- be careful not to burn the spices or they will become bitter. Cool slightly, then add half the mixture to the cucumber mixture and reserve the remainder.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the juice of ½ lime, then stir into the chicken mixture and season to taste. Cut the remaining lime into wedges for serving.

Heat small frying pan over medium high heat, add half the ghee or oil and heat until little piece of pappadum sizzles when added to the pan. Cook the pappadums one at a time for 10-15 seconds or until golden and puffed, the drain on paper towel.

To serve, top the pappadums with a little chicken mixture, then the remaining ingredients. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over the dish.  

Recipes from Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook by Rachel Khoo (Michael Joseph, $39.99). Drop by Rachel Khoo’s website.

Photography by Prue Ruscoe. Styling by Lucy Tweed. Food preparation by Leanne Kitchen. Creative concept by Lou Fay.

Resin pippi spoon from Dinosaur Design. Wooden coaster from Freedom.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.