Coronation Chicken Salad

This is supposedly a British standby, created for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in the 1950s.  There were lots of recipes out there for it with several variations, but all a curried chicken salad.  It was a nice salad, the curry was slightly understated, just about right, not overpowering.  The mango added sweetness and the almonds added crunch.  I don't care for chicken salad that taste too much of mayonnaise & this one called for crème fraîche , which is not available here, but I easily substituted sour cream and just added a bit more apricot jam to compensate for the extra tartness.  Also, this recipe called for 2 three lb rotisserie chickens, so I just used 3 lbs of chicken and cut the recipe in half.  Another note, there is no way the sauce will reduce to 1/4 cup.  I just reduced it until it was very thick & I was afraid it would burn if I continued cooking it.  I also didn't add the hot pepper since I couldn't find one and skipped the last step entirely and just added the almonds to the salad and ate it with crackers.

Coronation Chicken Salad

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large shallot, minced

1 large hot red chile, seeded and minced

2 teaspoons curry powder

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2/3 cup dry white wine

2/3 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

1/4 cup apricot jam

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup crème fraîche

1 large mango, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (2 cups)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Tabasco

Two 3-pound skinned rotisserie chickens—leg meat shredded, breast meat sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Pinch of sugar

8 cups finely shredded Boston lettuce

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

1. In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the shallot and chile and cook over moderately low heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook over high heat until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and boil until reduced to 3 tablespoons. Add the stock and apricot jam and boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Transfer the curry dressing to a medium bowl and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, about 10 minutes.
2. Whisk the mayonnaise and crème fraîche into the curry dressing. Fold in the mango, scallions, lemon juice and cilantro. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken leg meat with half of the dressing and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. In a small skillet, toast the almonds over moderate heat, stirring, until golden brown, 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
4. In a large bowl, mix the oil with the lime juice, mustard and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Add the shredded lettuce and toss well. Transfer to a platter. Arrange the leg meat over the lettuce and top with the sliced breast meat. Spoon the remaining curry dressing over the salad. Garnish with the toasted almond slices and the cilantro leaves and serve right away.