Coronation chicken salad (for Yanks)

My husband is English. Most of the time, I forget this rather simple fact. I don’t hear his accent anymore – it’s only when I talk to him on the phone that I’m reminded he’s not from ’round here.

And when it comes to food, he likes pretty much everything (except popcorn and red licorice). But there’s one thing he absolutely loves – curry.

So when he lamented that he missed this concoction called Coronation Chicken Salad, which features curry and is apparently is a mainstay of British sandwich cuisine (yeah, I just made up that term!), I sprang into action. I did what any Yankee wife would do – I emailed his mum and asked for her recipe.

Depending on what we have in our kitchen, I normally make a version that consists of these ingredients: cooked chopped chicken, onion, golden raisins, mayo, mango chutney, curry powder, salt and pepper.

Now that we’re trying to eat healthier (yay for us), I decided yesterday to modify the recipe to make it low-fat and incorporate more veg.

I used a Weight Watchers recipe as a starting point, and then modified it a bit. The results? Absolutely amazing. We were blown away! I let the chicken salad chill in the fridge for a few hours, and I think that made a BIG difference in allowing the flavors to really meld (and shine)!

Without further ado, here are the details:

Low-fat Coronation Chicken Salad (Yankee version ;))

Servings: 4-6, depending on how hungry you are! 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (skinless, boneless)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1 medium uncooked carrot, coarsely grated
• 1/2 rib uncooked celery, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced (I found this to be a lot of onion, so you may want to decrease depending on your tastes!)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 small carton fat-free Greek yogurt (I used Fage brand)
• 1 heaping spoonful of mango chutney (chopped, if necessary)
• 1 tsp curry powder (I used hot curry ’cause we like spice!)
• salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Combine chicken, raisins, carrot, celery, cilantro and lemon juice in bowl.

Combine onion, yogurt, curry powder, chutney, salt and pepper in small bowl. Make sure to mix well – don’t want any super-concentrated curry bits! Pour over chicken mixture; toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Serve on a fresh roll, sandwich bread or wrap….or on top of lettuce!

Note: I think apple would be a nice addition. Next time, I think I’ll try adding some. Halved grapes are used in the WW recipe, so I’m sure they’d be fantastic, too. I had golden raisins on-hand ’cause the hubby prefers those in his coronation chicken. 🙂