----A lighter, zestier version of Coronation Chicken----

Well over a month ago now, the Friends of DRCS Fundraising committee hosted a charity lunch for 120, and the dish we prepared was this. Fairly labour intensive for 120, as you can imagine, it should be a doddle for 4 or 8 or even 12. It really is delicious and we received so many compliments at the time and later that I thought I’d share it with you all here. We recently had some friends over for a joint summer  birthday celebration, in theory for a barbecue but because the weather outlook was  dismal we changed plans and had a cosy meal indoors, enjoying a summery Jubilee Chicken and salad. It is going to prove a good standby!

Jubilee Chicken Quantity to serve 4
4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2tbsp olive oil
1 lime quartered, bunch of flat leaf parsley and grated nutmeg

Marinade
Half lime juiced and zest grated
3cm fresh root ginger peeled and grated
1 clove crushed garlic
1 shallot chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

Dressing
3 floz/ 100ml crème fraiche
6 tbsp mayonnaise
Half lime, juice, zest grated
5cms piece fresh root ginger

Method

Mix marinade in shallow dish. Add chicken and coat thoroughly. Refrigerate, covered for 2-3 hrs
Mix dressing. Place crème fraiche, mayo, lime juice and zest in a bowl. Peel and grate the ginger then twist in a piece of muslin or press through a sieve to extract juice. Add 2 tsp of juice to dressing.  Stir and cover and chill.
Scrape marinade from chicken, season, drizzle with olive oil and roast in preheated oven 190 c/375f for 25 mins, basting occasionally. Leave to cool completely then cut into bite size pieces and cover with dressing.

It really is delicious. I am sure one could think of all sorts of variations including adding apricots or mango or even grapes and perhaps a hint of curry, using a good quality paste. I’d welcome any suggestions!