British-Inspired Coronation Turkey

Written by
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Elaine Lemm
Updated 04/15/21
Coronation turkey

The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
1118 Calories
100g Fat
17g Carbs
37g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 1118
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 100g 129%
Saturated Fat 20g 98%
Cholesterol 153mg 51%
Sodium 905mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Protein 37g
Calcium 78mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

The coronation in this recipe is usually mixed with cooked chicken. This recipe, however, has replaced the chicken to become Coronation Turkey, a great way to use up leftover meat from the holidays.
Coronation chicken was designed for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. It includes fruit, curry, and mayonnaise. The recipe is representative of the British Empire's colonization of the world, which resulted in British exploitation of curry and diverse fruits. The recipe remains a firm favorite all over the British Isles.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1 small onion (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon mild curry paste
  • 1 teaspoon tomato puree
  • 1 tablespoon red wine
  • 1/4 pint/125 ml chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 lemon (juiced)
  • 1 pint/450 ml mayonnaise
  • 4 tablespoons apricot puree
  • 2 tablespoons double cream (lightly whipped)
  • 1 pound/450 g free-range cooked turkey (diced)
  • 2 tablespoons flaked almonds (toasted)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for coronation turkey recipe
    ​The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

  2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions and cook on a low heat for 3 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook for 2 more minutes.

    Heat curry paste
    ​The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

  3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the tomato puree, red wine, chicken stock and bay leaf. Season with sea salt and black pepper and bring to the boil.

    Remove from heat
    ​The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

  4. Add the sugar and the lemon juice and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

    Add the sugar
    ​The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

  5. Strain and cool.

    Strain
    ​The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

  6. Slowly add the curry mixture to the mayonnaise.

    Slowly add mixture
    ​The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

  7. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the apricot puree.

    Stir in apricot puree
    ​The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

  8. Fold in the softly whipped cream and the cooked turkey.

    Fold in whipped cream
    ​The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

  9. To serve, place the turkey on a serving platter, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of apricots and scatter with toasted, flaked almonds.

    Place turkey on platter
    ​The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck