Name: Coronation Chicken Pizza
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 4 x 250-gram pizza dough balls; 300 grams (2 cups) cooked chicken (boiled or roasted), torn or shredded; 45 grams (3 tablespoons) of extra-virgin olive oil; 50 grams (1 cup) of white onion, diced (about ½ small onion); 3 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) curry powder; 200 grams (1 ½ cups) diced tomatoes (about 1 large tomato); 50 millilitres (¼ cup) red wine; 1 bay leaf; 20 grams (1 tablespoon) of apricot jam; 1 lemon, zested (reserve for garnish) and juiced; 50 grams (¼ cup) heavy cream or double cream; fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 6 grams (3 teaspoons) mild curry powder, to taste; 1 ½ grams (½ teaspoon) ground cinnamon; 40 grams (2 tablespoons) apricot jam; 75 grams (⅓ cup) mayonnaise; 75 grams (⅓ cup) crème fraîche; fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 20 grams (¼ cup) flaked toasted almonds; bench flour, for dusting and stretching; zest of 1 lemon (reserved); 4 grams (¼ cup) fresh coriander, finely chopped

Coronation Chicken Pizza

Cold cooked chicken, herbs, spices and a creamy mayonnaise-based sauce — Coronation Chicken might not be the first place you’d turn for new summer pizza inspiration, but the original recipe for “Poulet Reine Elizabeth” (credited to Rosemary Hume of Le Cordon Bleu London, which prepared the Coronation luncheon for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953) has the contrasting hallmarks of a wonderfully flavourful pizza.

The original recipe, described by Le Cordon Bleu as “chicken, boned and coated in curry cream sauce, with, one end of each dish, a well-seasoned dressed salad of rice, green peas and pimentos,” consisted of a wine-poached chicken with vegetables and aromatics. Cornwall-based recipe developer, sourdough bread baker, pizzaiolo and filmmaker Grant Batty took this inspiration and added more spice and fresh flavours. He opted instead to use chicken that had been roasted with lemon, garlic and herbs for a truly memorable and indulgent savoury, spicy pizza with bites of sweet creamy respite.

Notes: We’ve spatchcocked and fired off a chicken in an Ooni (check out that easy recipe here), but you can use leftover roasted chicken or buy it pre-roasted and shredded to save time.

Difficulty

Servings

Serves 4

Prep Time

50 minutes to 2 hours

(if you roast your own chicken)

Method

1: This recipe would suit a variety of pizza styles, but we think sourdough, neo-Neapolitan or classic pizza dough all work well.

Make sure to prepare your dough ahead of time to ensure it rises at room temperature before firing up your oven.

2: Make or buy the pre-roasted chicken and portion it out (shred or tear it).

3: Warm a sauté pan over medium heat, then add the olive oil and chopped onions.

Cook until soft and translucent (about 3 minutes).

4: Add the curry powder and stir well to combine.

Cook for another 2 minutes. Be sure not to burn the spices, because they’ll become bitter.

5: Add the chopped tomatoes, red wine, bay leaf, apricot jam and lemon juice, then bring to the boil.

Simmer for 10 minutes over a medium heat until the sauce thickens and most of the moisture evaporates.

6: Remove from the heat, then add the double cream and salt and pepper to taste.

Stir to combine, then leave to cool.

7: Mix the apricot jam, spices, mayonnaise and crème fraîche together in a large bowl until they’re combined.

You’ll drizzle this sauce over the finished pizza.

8: Tip: Coronation Dressing also works as a dipping sauce for crusts!

9: Fire up your Ooni pizza oven.

Aim for 400°C to 450°C (750°F to 850°F) on the baking stone inside (about 15 minutes). Use the infrared thermometer to quickly and accurately check the temperature of the middle of the stone.

10: Tip: You can toast your almonds in the oven as it’s reaching temperature.

Either place them on the end of a peel and let them kiss the flames for a couple of seconds, or put them in a heated skillet and stir until they colour slightly.

11: Place a dough ball on a lightly floured work surface.

Push the air from the centre out to the edge with your fingers. Stretch the dough out to form a 12-inch base, then lay the stretched dough over your lightly floured pizza peel.

12: Starting in the centre and working your way out to the edge, spread 3 tablespoons of the spiced tomato and cream sauce, leaving 1 ½ to 2 centimetres (¼ to ½ inch) for the crust.

13: Top generously with the chicken.

14: Slide the pizza off the peel and into your oven.

Cook for one to two minutes, using a peel to turn your pizza about every 20 seconds to ensure an even bake.

15: Remove the cooked pizza from the oven, wait one minute for it to cool slightly, then top with the Coronation Dressing, toasted sliced almonds and chopped coriander.

16: Slice into 6 pieces, serve and enjoy!