A well-loved British afternoon tea icon, I’ve brought coronation chicken out of the standard sandwich format and into a crispy, golden, puff pastry case for a modern twist on a nostalgic classic. Filled with juicy cubes of chicken breast coated in a curried white sauce with parsley and sultanas then finished with toasted almonds and mango chutney, these are a savoury treat guaranteed to impress your guests.
A Classic Afternoon Tea Savoury (that you can make ahead)
Vol-au-vents are making a comeback (see my review of Hyatt Canberra Afternoon Tea), so why not combine the much-loved flavours of Coronation Chicken with flaky French puff pastry cases? Don’t worry I’ve used store-bought cases from the supermarket to save time and while I’ve poached the chicken for this recipe you can easily use the breast meat from a BBQ chicken instead. The best part though is that you can make the filling ahead of time then simply fill, bake and serve when you guests arrive – how easy is that?
Why you’ll love these
- A fresh, elegant way to serve something everyone already loves — perfect for standing out on a tea stand
- Crisp, golden puff pastry with a light, creamy, subtly spiced curry filling
- A brilliant make-ahead option for entertaining – just fill, bake, garnish and serve
- Store-bought vol-au-vent cases add a fancy touch without the hassle or wastage of making your own
Good to know
- These are a larger size (not finger food) so serve with a knife and fork
- You will need to make a white sauce (I’ve detailed this step by step)
- Make the filling ahead of time (up to 2 days) then just fill and bake when ready to serve
- Don’t fill until you are ready to bake – you don’t want the cases to go soggy
Other afternoon tea recipes to make
How to make my Coronation Chicken Vol-au-vents
Read through the recipe from start the finish.
Preheat the oven to 160 C fan / 320 C fan. Lay the almonds out on a baking tray or cookie sheet in a single layer.
While you wait for the oven to heat up, start poaching the chicken (see below) then toast the almonds for 5 minutes. Leave to cool.
Poach the chicken
Set up the liquid: Put the chicken breast in a medium saucepan then cover with cold water (or a mix of water and chicken stock for more flavour) ensuring the liquid is 2cm higher than the chicken.
Bring to a gentle simmer: Heat uncovered over medium until you see small bubbles just starting — don’t let it boil hard, or the chicken will go tough and stringy.
Poach gently: Once simmering, reduce heat to very low so the water is barely moving, cover with a lid, and cook for 20 minutes (set a timer).
Rest and dice: Remove from the liquid and let it rest for 15 minutes before dicing — this keeps it juicy for your Coronation Chicken filling.
Make the Coronation Chicken filling
Make the white sauce: Measure the milk into a jug.
In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds.
Remove from the heat. Swap your spoon for a whisk then add the milk a third at a time, whisking between additions. This will ensure your sauce is lump-free.
Now place your saucepan back on low heat and whisk until the mixture thickens. Make sure to get into the edges of the saucepan where the mixture can stick. Remove from the heat.
Add the curry powder, sultanas, parsley and salt and pepper. Stir well.
Fold in the diced chicken and stir until combined. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if required.
Cool then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve the Coronation Chicken Vol-au-vents
Assemble and bake
Preheat the oven to 160 C fan / 320 F fan.
Place the empty vol au vent cases on a tray.
Divide the chicken mixture between the cases. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the shells are golden brown.
Remove from the oven.
To serve
Add a little mango chutney, then finish with the toasted almonds and parsley. Serve immediately with a knife and fork.
Frequently Asked Questions about my Coronation Chicken Vol-au-vents
Can I make these in a smaller canape size? Yes. Just make sure you cut the chicken into smaller pieces so the filling fits in the vol-au-vent shell. Warm in the oven for 8 minutes then check before heating for a further 2 minutes.
How much BBQ chicken will I need? Depending on the size of the chicken you may need two chicken breasts. I would weigh the chicken breast meat, aiming for 250g – 300g so you have a similar amount to what’s required for the recipe.
Can I use coriander instead of parsley? Yes! (it’s my favourite way to serve these), however it’s not universally popular so make sure it’s a herb your guests enjoy too.
Should I add salt to the poaching liquid? No, it will make the chicken tough. Better to add the salt to the overall curry white sauce mixture, taste, then adjust until you strike the right balance.
How far ahead can I make the filling? Up to two days ahead – the flavours will intensify over time thanks to the curry powder.
Coronation chicken vol-au-vents for a modern twist on a nostalgic classic
8
servings30
minutes20
minutesEquipment
Medium saucepan
Baking tray
Crispy, golden, store-bought puff pastry cases are filled with juicy cubes of chicken breast coated in a curried white sauce enhanced with sultanas and chopped parsley. Finished with toasted almonds and mango chutney for a modern twist on a much loved classic.
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
8 medium 8 medium vol au vent cases, see blog post
300 g 10 5/8 oz raw chicken breast, or cooked BBQ chicken breast
60 g 2 1/8 oz unsalted butter
60 g 2 1/8 oz plain flour
250 ml 8 1/2 fl oz full cream milk
1.5 tsp 1 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp fine table salt and a twist of cracked pepper
1 tsp 1 tsp Italian / flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish or coriander if preferred
1 tbsp 1 tbsp sultanas
- Garnish
mango chutney
20 g 3/4 oz flaked almonds (toasted)
Italian / flat leaf parsley or coriander
Directions
- Preparation
- Read through the recipe from start the finish.
- Preheat the oven to 160 C fan / 320 C fan. Lay the almonds out on a baking tray or cookie sheet in a single layer.
- While you wait for the oven to heat up, start poaching the chicken (see below) then toast the almonds for 5 minutes. Leave to cool.
- Poach the chicken
- Set up the liquid: Put the chicken breast in a medium saucepan then cover with cold water (or a mix of water and chicken stock for more flavour) ensuring the liquid is 2cm higher than the chicken.
- Bring to a gentle simmer: Heat uncovered over medium until you see small bubbles just starting — don’t let it boil hard, or the chicken will go tough and stringy.
- Poach gently: Once simmering, reduce heat to very low so the water is barely moving, cover with a lid, and cook for 20 minutes (set a timer).
- Rest and dice: Remove from the liquid and let it rest for 15 minutes before dicing — this keeps it juicy for your Coronation Chicken filling.
- Make the Coronation Chicken filling
- Make the white sauce: Measure the milk into a jug.
- In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds.
- Remove from the heat. Swap your spoon for a whisk then add the milk a third at a time, whisking between additions. This will ensure your sauce is lump-free.
- Now place your saucepan back on low heat and whisk until the mixture thickens. Make sure to get into the edges of the saucepan where the mixture can stick. Remove from the heat.
- Add the curry powder, sultanas, parsley and salt and pepper. Stir well.
- Fold in the diced chicken and stir until combined. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if required.
- Cool then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To serve the Coronation Chicken Vol-au-vents
- Preheat the oven to 160 C fan / 320 F fan.
- Place the empty vol au vent cases on a tray.
- Divide the chicken mixture between the cases. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the shells are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven.
- To serve
- Add a little mango chutney, then finish with the toasted almonds and parsley. Serve immediately with a knife and fork.