Coronation Chicken Salad with Pineapple and Rice
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Coronation Chicken Salad with Pineapple and Rice is a cold salad meal with cooked chicken, rice, seasonings and spices and served with a creamy yogurt-mayonnaise dressing. I was inspired by cookbook author Nancie McDermott to make this when she did a Facebook Live cooking event recently. Nancie said this was served for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1955. We’re not Brits, but Filipinos love this combo of savory-sweet flavors of this salad combined with rice, pineapple, raisins and nuts. It’s a pleasant starter to any meal. I had leftover chicken and cooked jasmine rice, so that made it even easier to assemble. And ideal for the early autumn days while the last warm winds still linger on.
Also, is your head spinning like mine is? The continuous rise in Covid19 cases here in the United States, and other countries is alarming. The constant barrage of political news, questions about election integrity and threats to preserving democracy has not helped at all. It has taken a lot to maintain my inner peace and sanity. I am working on several writing projects right now but it has been hard to focus. Has it been the same for you, too?
Self-care is so important for us, now more than ever. You can do this: Turn off social media. I do that. I have the TV and my phone notifications turned off all day while I write. The news will remain noisy even if you don’t listen. News will always terrify if you let fear get the better of you. You can’t control everything. But you can make a vibrant, superb salad meal for the family. I promise it’s one of the most uplifting, hearty dishes that will make everyone at the table feel okay.
Coronation Chicken Salad with Pineapple and Rice
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls - Large, medium and small
- Rice cooker - to cook rice
Ingredients
Chicken Salad
- ½ cup raisins
- 3 Tablespoons warm apple cider or juice; heat in microwave for 30 seconds
- 2 teaspoons salt; divided, 1 teaspoon for chicken salad, rest for cooking rice
- 2 cups cooked white jasmine rice
- 1 cup canned pineapple chunks, drain liquid; or use fresh, cubed pineapple
- 2 cups cooked chopped chicken, small bite-sized cubes
- 8 stalks scallions, chopped, divided; use 1 cup of chopped scallions for rice, rest for garnish
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Curried Yogurt Salad Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ⅔ cup plain yogurt
- 3 Tablespoons Marukan rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced fine
For garnish:
- whole leaves of lettuce for cups; use Boston, Bib or Limestone; to line salad bowls or use as wraps
- 1 cup unsalted pistachio nuts; or use almonds, walnuts, or cashews
Instructions
To make the Chicken Salad:
- In a small, non-reactive bowl, combine the raisins, warmed cider or juice. Set aside for raisins to plump up.
- Prepare the cooked rice.If you don't have cooked rice ready. Here's how to make rice: Wash the rice grains. Cook the rice with 1 teaspoon of salt in the rice cooker. Or cook rice stove-top. See my previous blog post how to cook rice. Set rice aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the plumped-up raisins and cooked rice. Pour the soaking liquid.Add the pineapple chunks, bell pepper, cooked chicken, 1 teaspoon salt and cup of chopped scallions.Combine everything well. Set aside and make the dressing.
To make the Curried Yogurt Salad Dressing:
- In a medium-sized bowl, use a whisk or large spoon to blend together the ingredients: Mayonnaise, yogurt, rice vinegar, honey, curry powder, Worcestershire sauce, ginger and garlic. Cover and refrigerate till ready to use.
To assemble salad:
- Pour the dressing over the chicken-rice mixture. Blend ingredients well so that dressing coats everything.Cover and refrigerate till ready to eat.
To serve salad:
- Line individual salad bowls with lettuce leaves.Spoon the chicken-rice salad mixture on the leaves. Sprinkle and spread the nuts evenly over all the servings. Garnish salad bowls with rest of chopped scallions and fresh parsley.Serve chilled.
Cook's comments:
- In her recipe, Nancie McDermott used a combination of jasmine white rice and wild rice. Feel free to use the cooked rice you prefer.If there are allergies, omit the nuts. Or if using nuts, use any unsalted nuts you like.Sometimes, I have leftover rotisserie chicken and I chop it up to use for this salad if I'm in a rush.
Nutrition
Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.
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