Vadouvan coronation chicken salad with lime yoghurt

Coronation chicken sometimes gets a bad press, but this version – lime yoghurt, sticky apricots and cashews – makes a strong case for it. It centres on a shop‑bought rotisserie bird, and everything else comes together pretty quickly. The kind of thing you put in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. Vadouvan is a mild curry mix with a French influence originating in Pondicherry. There’s a sweetness to it, from onion and garlic, but also a strong savoury note from cumin and fenugreek. It’s worth seeking out, but you can use a mild madras curry powder as a substitute.

Prep 20 min
Cook 10 min
Assembly 10 min
Serves 4-6

150g Greek yoghurt

120g mayonnaise

1 lime 1 tsp grated zest and 1½ tbsp juice

Fine sea salt and black pepper

1 shop-bought rotisserie chicken (1kg), roughly picked in 3cm pieces (650g)
3 tbsp good quality rapeseed oil
50g picked mixed herbs, such as mint, coriander, basil, tarragon or parsley
50g pea shoots
3 spring onions (45g), thinly sliced at an angle

For the vadouvan chilli oil

175ml good quality rapeseed oil

50g cashews, chopped into roughly ½ cm pieces
100g dried apricots, chopped into ½ cm pieces
50g vadouvan spice blend (or use mild madras curry powder, see intro)
¼ tsp sugar
15g Aleppo chilli flakes (or 2 tsp regular chilli flakes)
1 tbsp cider vinegar

For the vadouvan oil, place the rapeseed oil in a small saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, add the cashews and apricots, and cook for eight to 10 minutes, until the cashews are golden and the apricots are sticky. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for two minutes, then stir in the vadouvan spices, sugar, chilli and vinegar. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, mayonnaise, lime zest, half a tablespoon of juice and quarter of a teaspoon of salt, and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the chicken with one‑and‑a-half tablespoons of oil, a quarter of a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Add the herbs, pea shoots and spring onions, along with one-and-a-half tablespoons of oil, one tablespoon of lime juice and one-eighth of a teaspoon of salt.

Arrange the chicken and herb mixture in one layer on a platter. Spoon over half of the yoghurt, followed by half of the vadouvan oil. Serve the remaining in bowls on the side.