Coronation Chicken Pie with Black Onion & Almond Topping
Apparently coronation chicken pie was created in 1953 when renowned florist Constance Spry and cordon bleu chef Rosemary Hume catered for a banquet to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II.
All i know, is that this recipe is incredibly tasty and looks so pretty with it’s tiny sprinkles of black onion seeds and toasted almonds sitting against the golden crusts of the pie.
The filling is a combination of the moist chicken and the tangy slightly curry flavour of the mango and raisins. I think it definitely looks like a pie for a celebration and know it certainly tastes good enough for one!
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!
Golden crust surrounding a slightly curry and fruity fillin
What You Need
6 Boneless & Skinless Chicken Thighs
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Large Piece of Ginger – Roughly chopped
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
2 Tbsp Medium Curry Paste
1 x 400ml Tin of Coconut Milk
400g Fresh Spinach
60g Dried Mango Pieces – Chopped into Chunks
50g Raisins
500g Block of Puff Pastry
1 x Small Bunch of Coriander – chopped
1 Egg - Beaten
2 Tbsp Black Onion Seeds
2 Tbsp Toasted Almond Slices
Salt
A filling piled high leaving a pastry border.
How It’s Done
Place the chicken into a bowl along with the turmeric, ginger, cumin seeds, the curry paste and a pinch of salt.
Use hands to massage into the chicken
Cover the chicken and leave the chicken to marinate for a few hours.
Place the chicken along with anything else that’s left in the bowl, into a saucepan that has a little extra room.
Pour over the coconut milk, give it a stir and let it come to the boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat and let the chicken cook completely and the liquid has reduced,(approx. 40 minute)– See Tip Box
Remove the ginger and the cumin seeds from the liquid and let the chicken cool completely in the remaining liquid
Once the chicken has cooled, roughly chop the chicken thighs and place into a bowl
Heat the oven to 180c
Boil a kettle
Place the spinach into a colander and slowly pour over all the boiling water so that the spinach has wilted.
Let the spinach cool and then squeeze out all of the water
Roughly chop the spinach and add it to the chopped chicken
Add the chopped dried mango and raisins to the bowl along with the chopped coriander and give it a good mix up.
Cut off a third of the pastry, dust the work surface with a little flour and roll it out to a circle of Approx. 25cm – See Tip Box
Lay the pastry circle onto a tray covered with non-stick kitchen parchment
Pile the chicken filling into the centre of the pastry round but leave around 1½“ pastry border.
Dust the work surface with a little flour and roll out the remaining pastry.
Brush the pastry border with the egg wash and lay the pastry on the top pressing down around the filling to seal the pastry.
Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut around the edge of the pie to even it out and make it into a circle – See Tip Box
Use a fork to press gently around the sealed edge to add to the seal and make a pretty border.
Brush half of the egg wash over the pie until its completely covered and place into the hot oven.
Bake for 20 minutes
Remove from the oven, brush the pie surface with the remainder of the egg wash, sprinkle the almond slices and the black onion seeds over the top
Place the pie back into the oven for another 20 minutes until the pie is a rich golden brown. - See Tip Box
Leave the pie to cool completely before cutting.
Crimp the edges with a fork and brush on half of the egg wash
Tip Box
Baking - All ovens are different so adjust the cooking time accordingly
Chicken - Once boiled in coconut milk, the chicken should be almost falling apart.
Pastry – The dimensions of the pastry bottom and top are approximate. I used a large plate as a template, but if you want a more rustic look, just eyeball it!
Extra Pastry – I used the off cuts of pastry to make cheese pastry straws.
Chopped dry mango and chopped spinach squeezed as dry as i could get it.
Cut off a nice large slice
