Jubilee Chicken

So this is what they call Jubilee Chicken in Jamie Oliver’s British Cookbook . I got the book earlier this year , along with Alton Brown’s Good eats . I love both chefs , they’re good in their own way . So far Jamie’s recipe hasn’t failed me yet , and i have a full confidence in him when trying new recipes , esp. from this British Cookbook , something that i haven’t heard or seen before . I landed on the what they called Diamond Jubilee Chicken , Jubilee is somekind of celebration if i am not mistaken . And according to him , this dish was known as Coronation Chicken , except , Jamie has made it a little bit healthier , by using yogurt as the sauce in replace of mayonaisse . Yes , we all know how fattening mayonaisse can be .

While i was putting together the ingredients , i was sure this was going to be a yummy dinner , without any clue what coronation chicken was . Honestly , i never heard of the dish before .. so i just thought okay this looks yummy and let’s go with it . I put the spices together , garam masala , cumin , coriander .. etc . The house smells so yummy roasting the chicken rubbed with all those spices . Then i had to cut up the fruits and vegetable .. i started to wonder .. and then i had to make the yogurt sauce .. and i began having doubts in the dish .

My husband came home and i told him .. ” yes it looks strange with all these things combined , but try it anyway .. ” He said to me ” you know me , i will try it no matter what .. ”

My 8 years old on the other hand .. didn’t need any words from me , his face just showed it all when i placed the plate on the dining table , he was literally shocked .. had mom gone crazy ? What is this ? He asked me that .. i said Jubilee Chicken .. he didn’t ask me any further .. his face was full of doubts ..

But fear not my follow cook !! This dish might look so unattractive .. but take bite of it .. and you’ll change your mind !! I was glad that i didn’t hesitant to take a bite and it was refreshing , different and quite delicious . I would consider this pretty healthy , it has fruits and vegetables and you had the choice of not eating the crispy skin of the chicken , and the sauce is made from yogurt .. what more could you ask ?

So here we go .. Coronation Chicken … as Jamie Oliver would call it .. ” ER Diamond Jubilee Chicken ” and as i would call it ” British Chicken Salad ”

 

Direction : 

8 pieces of chicken thighs , bone in , skin on

1 lemon

kosher salt and pepper

1 heaping Tbsp. of garam masala

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. of turmeric ( turmeric will make your fingers pretty yellow .. so when mixing the chicken later on , feel free if you want to put gloves on )

1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder

Olive oil

1-2 inches of ginger , grated

4-5 cloves of garlic , grated

Mix the dry spices together with salt and pepper , then sprinkle the spices on the chicken , with kosher salt and pepper , then grated ginger and garlic , add little olive oil , then rub it all together on the chicken well . Then place this in a roasting pan ( i used glass dish 13×9 ) , and bake at 375 F for about 50 minutes or until chicken thighs are done . Take it out , then remove the skin from the chicken , place all the skins upside down , and sprinkle with 1 tbsp. sesame seed and handful of sliced almonds . Bake at 375 F for 10-15 minutes until it gets very crispy and nuts and seeds are toasted . Set aside .

1 cucumber , seeds removed

1 can of crushed or chunk pineapple

6 green onions , slice thinly

2 bird eye chilis , chopped

Cut the cucumber into small dice , the same with pineapple , or if you’re using crushed , then just remove the juice . Mix all ingredients together , place it on the bottom of serving platter .

Small bunch of cilantro , roughly chop the stalks

3/4 cup of plain yogurt

juice from 1 lime

Salt and Pepper

Mix this ingredients together with some of the juice from roasting pan ( without the fat ) , mix well .

Debone the chicken , and then place the meat all over the platter on top of the cucumber pinapple chilis and green onion mixture . Then add some of the yogurt sauce on top , then sprinkle cilantro leaves and the crispy chicken skin all over . Then mix gently , and serve !