Tom Hunt’s leftover roast chicken coronation chicken. Photograph: Tom Hunt/The Guardian. View image in fullscreen Tom Hunt’s leftover roast chicken coronation chicken. Photograph: Tom Hunt/The Guardian. Waste not Chicken How to turn leftover roast chicken into a brilliant midweek meal – recipe Whip up a curry mayonnaise and turn your leftovers into a semi-instant classic
Tom Hunt Wed 23 Sep 2026 14.00 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google I t was my gran’s funeral a few weeks ago, so today’s recipe seems rather fitting, because coronation chicken was one of the few savoury dishes she cooked, and also one I loved. This homage to her glorious personality and astonishingly sweet tooth (add extra mango chutney for sweetness) is a wonderful way to use up leftover chicken from a roast, barbecue or whatever. I make the mayo from scratch, because I don’t keep mayonnaise in my larder, but I do have eggs and extra-virgin olive oil.
Coronation chicken was a genius solution to a common caterers’ conundrum, and was created by Rosemary Hume and Constance Spry for a 350-person banquet at Westminster school to mark Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. I take a similar approach, whether I’m cooking a dinner party for five or feeding 500 at a festival, and generally go for simple recipes that can be finished with little effort (and have my mise en place ready, of course). This dish is a brilliant use of Sunday’s leftovers, be it as a delicious stand-alone supper or a superior sandwich filling. Don’t be precious about which bits of leftover chicken you use: thigh meat, wing meat, the oysters, skin, and any last scraps clinging to the carcass – all of it goes in.
1 egg 1 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard , or to taste Flaky sea salt and black pepper Juice of ¼ lemon , plus the finely grated zest if the fruit is organic and unwaxed About 150ml extra-virgin olive oil , or enough to emulsify and thicken the mayo Finely grated zest and juice of ¼ unwaxed lemon A few coriander sprigs , stalks finely chopped, leaves left whole 1 tbsp mango chutney 1 tsp mild curry powder , or a pinch each of a few warm spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, fenugreek, mustard seed, ginger, black pepper and nigella seeds – whatever you have to hand 300g cooked chicken or turkey scraps , pulled off a roast 1 handful flaked almonds , toasted, to serve
To make the dressing, crack the egg into an immersion blender jug and add the mustard, a pinch of sea salt, the lemon juice (and zest, if using), the finely chopped coriander stalks, the chutney and the curry powder. With the motor going, slowly pour in the oil and blend until the mixture emulsifies into a thick mayonnaise, then taste and adjust the seasoning. The curried mayo will now keep in the fridge for up to four days.
To make the coronation chicken, pull any leftover chicken or turkey scraps – 200-300g should feed two generously – into rough pieces, then mix in a bowl with enough mayonnaise to coat the meat well. Serve topped with toasted flaked almonds and the coriander leaves.