Long To Reign Over Us!

 

Coronation Chicken is that perennially popular dish created by Rosemary Hume, co-founder of the Cordon Bleu Cookery School, to celebrate the Queen’s coronation in 1953. Like the monarchy itself, it has evolved down the decades and has been endlessly adapted, to make the most of modern day ingredients and to suit current appetites. I admit to having a real liking for this regal favourite providing

it isn’t fat-laden, has fresh tasting fruit; recognisable flavours of warm spices; and chunks of tender roast chicken – not a bit like the pre-prepared sandwich fillings we see in many stores under the same label.

 

It seems fitting today to prepare this delicious dish to serve tomorrow when our own Queen Elizabeth celebrates a new milestone in her long-standing reign. My tinkering of this favourite means it has been made bariatric-friendly by lightening up the sauce; using fresh mango for the mix; and incorporating tender pieces of roast thigh or chicken meat in the dish for good toleration, even by those who struggle with meat. I’ve served mine on our Bariatric Portion Plate (details here) with a rice and bean salad and handful of mixed salad leaves, all portion controlled.

 

All that remains is for me to say Congratulations Ma’am!

 

CORONATION CHICKEN

This was a favourite dish pre-surgery, it was however high in fats and sugar. I have given it the bariatric once-over and it now weighs in light enough for post-surgery eating. It is delicious served with a little rice or bean salad but, if you have access to a microwave in your workplace, then it makes a fabulous topping for a sweet jacket potato. Microwave the potato on FULL POWER for 6-8 minutes, depending upon size.

 

Ingredients

METRIC/US

2 tbsp extra-light mayonnaise

2 tbsp fat-free plain or mandarin yogurt

1 tsp curry paste

juice of 1/2 orange

200g/1 cup cooked, skinless and boneless chicken breast or thigh meat, chopped

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

75 g/1/2 cup fresh mango pieces or 2 soft dried apricots, chopped

25g/1/4 cup almonds, coarsley chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Method

1.  Mix the mayonnaise with the yogurt, curry paste and orange juice to make a smooth sauce.

2.  Add the chicken, onion, mango or apricots, almonds and salt and pepper to taste, mixing well.

3.  Serve with a rice or bean salad or with a freshly-cooked sweet jacket potato.

 

SERVES 2

WLS PORTION: 1/2

 

Calories per portion: 270

Protein: 32.2g

Carbohydrate: 18.4g

Fat: 8.1g

 

FOR A VEGETARIAN VERSION: Replace the chicken with Quorn Chicken Style Pieces