Coronation chicken with dates and pistachio
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
Loading...A classic choice for your picnic, lovely with crackers or crusty bread. I love the retro feel of this lovely chicken salad dish, which has been given a twist by swapping the sultanas for dates and adding some chopped pistachio nuts for extra texture. I shredded, rather than sliced, the cooked chicken because the sauce seems to flavour it so much better that way. I also put in a cheeky pinch of 'amchur', a dried mango powder, but this can be tricky to find so easily left out.
Ingredients
- 1 large organic, free-range chicken breast, skin removed
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 50g chopped dates
- 50g pistachios, chopped or crushed
- 300ml chicken stock
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 star anise and a pinch each of fennel seeds, peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel seeds
- 1 lime
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: a pinch of 'amchur' (dried mango powder)
Instructions
First, we are going to poach the chicken breast. Bring the chicken stock to a gentle simmer and add the star anise and a few whole spice seeds. Allow the seeds to infuse into the broth for a few minutes, which will make the broth fragrant and spiced. Place the chicken breast in the stock and poach for around 15 minutes. Remove and allow to rest and cool.
While it is poaching, make the dressing. Mix the mayo with the curry powder and a good squeeze of lime juice. Add salt to taste and a tiny pinch of amchur, if you are using it. Mix well and taste. Add more curry powder, salt or lime to suit your taste.
When the chicken has cooled, take two forks and shred the meat into chunks. You don;t want it too fine so that it is overly stringy but still in decent size chunks with lovely shredded edges for that dressing to cling to.
Mix the chicken into the dressing, adding the chopped dates and pistachios. You could easily add some fresh coriander or parsley here, but I chose not to as their flavours can easily dominate and coriander tends to get chucked into anything vaguely spicy. Don't get me wrong, I love the stuff, but it can be over-used.
Pack this into your picnic or just enjoy with salad or in a sandwich.
