This coronation chickpea recipe is a fantastic twist on the classic coronation chicken and can be made either vegetarian or even suitable for a vegan diet. These easy coronation chickpeas are ready in under 10 minutes and are a fantastic healthy, protein-packed sandwich filling with lots of flavour.

Coming up with new and creative vegan lunches can get a little overwhelming sometimes – there are only so many nourishing bowls and chickpea salads a person can take (even if they are delicious!). Sometimes, you just want an easy sandwich to tide you over until dinner time.

For more ‘lighter’ lunch ideas, I’d highly recommend these flavour-packed buffalo tofu wraps, this honey garlic tofu recipe which is amazing with rice, salad, or in a sandwich, or these harissa chickpeas.

What are coronation chickpeas?

Coronation Chicken is a British sandwich filling that was first created for Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation banquet in 1953.⁠ Coronation chickpeas are therefore just a vegan take on this recipe, replacing the chicken with chickpeas. This coronation chickpeas recipe is healthy, packed with protein, fibre, and nothing but tasty ingredients.

Curry powder and chickpeas are a match made in heaven (in my opinion, anyway!), and add in some vegan creme fraiche and mango chutney well…would you look at this beautiful dish!!

Ingredients You’ll Need

This vegan coronation chickpea recipe is super easy to make, and keeps really well in the fridge for a couple of days so is perfect for meal prepping.

For the full instructions and quantities needed to make this recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.

• Chickpeas: The main component of this recipe, so a must-have! I use tinned chickpeas for the convenience they offer – you could also soak and cook dried chickpeas if you prefer. Simply drain your tinned chickpeas and they’re good to eat!

• Curry powder: To give the chickpeas that classic coronation flavour and colour, I used mild curry powder. To get that classic yellow tone, make sure that your curry powder is more yellow in colour and not a tandoori deep orange or red.
  
• Creme fraiche: Many coronation chickpea and chicken recipes use mayo to create that creamy sandwich filling, but I prefer to substitute with creme fraiche for a lighter flavour. You could use vegan creme fraiche to make this recipe plant-based, or you could use a regular creme fraiche. If you would prefer to use mayo, go for it.
  
• Mango chutney: This adds a wonderful sweet element to this recipe and that classic, tangy mango chutney flavour that complements the curry chickpeas and other ingredients perfectly. Use any shop-bought mango chutney you can find.
  
• Lemon juice
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• Coriander: A handful of chopped, fresh coriander pairs wonderfully with the coronation chickpeas in a sandwich, adding a herby, fresh flavour.
  
• Sultanas: While this is an optional ingredient, sultanas are traditionally found in all coronation chicken recipes and do add a lovely sweet and juicy burst of flavour to this recipe.
  
• Spring onion: Finally, a finely sliced spring onion finishes off this recipe.
  

Other Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Bread: You could choose to make an open-top sandwich similar to the one pictured in this post, or make a standard sandwich with two slices. I love using crusty sourdough or tiger bread that I’ve toasted and drizzle a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil over for this coronation chickpea recipe.
  
• Little gem lettuce: To add some crunch to your sandwich, little gem lettuce pairs so perfectly with these coronation chickpeas.

Tools You’ll Need

This vegan coronation chickpeas recipe is so simple – you really don’t need many ingredients at all! Make sure you have a large mixing bowl, a masher or a fork, and a knife to dice your spring onion, halve your lemon, and chop your coriander.

Swaps and substitutions

Not sure about something in this recipe? Here are a few great swaps and substitutions you can make that will still result in a great-tasting sandwich filler!

• Add in some chopped nuts for extra crunch
• Swap out the raisins for chopped dried apricots for added sweetness
• Add chilli or chilli flakes for extra heat
• Use mayo instead of creme fraiche if you prefer
• Use a vegan creme fraiche to make these coronation chickpeas vegan

How To Make This Coronation Chickpea Recipe

Again, the exact steps and ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here, I’ve included the steps (it’s so easy!) and some process photos to help you visualise how this recipe should turn out.

Step 1) Assemble Your Ingredients

To make this coronation chickpeas recipe, I start by getting everything ready. That means cutting your spring onion, juicing your lemon, chopping the coriander, and draining the tin of chickpeas. Have the remaining ingredients to hand.

Step 2) Add all the ingredients to your mixing bowl

Next, you’ll mash about two-thirds of the chickpeas in your mixing bowl before adding the remaining chickpeas, raisins, creme fraiche or mayo, mango chutney, and lemon juice. Then, add salt and pepper to taste, the spring onion, and finally some chopped coriander.

Mix it all together, taste it, and adjust your seasonings as required.

How to serve

This recipe is super tasty served immediately after mixing on top of a crusty slice of bread and fresh, crunchy little gem lettuce.

You could also have this recipe:

• As a sandwich
• As an open-topped sandwich
• In a wrap
• In a salad

Storage

This recipe can be store in the fridge for around 3 – 5 days in an airtight container. In my opinion, the chickpeas actually get even more flavourful the next day as all the ingredients mingle together!

If the chickpeas have dried out a little, add in some more creme fraiche or mayo to add some more moisture. The coronation chickpeas are best made fresh, so I wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this an authentic coronation recipe?

The most ‘authentic’ version of this recipe is coronation chicken. This is a meat-free alternative that swaps out the chicken for chickpeas.

Can I substitute the chickpeas for anything?

In my experience, chickpeas are the best replacement for chicken in this recipe. If you have a real aversion to chickpeas, you could try white beans instead – but I haven’t personally tried this so couldn’t recommend either way. I think butter beans or cannellini beans could work great, though.

Is this coronation chickpeas recipe gluten-free?

Yes, this coronation chickpeas recipe is gluten-free. You’ll just have to make sure you’re using gluten-free bread for your sandwich.

What’s in coronation chicken?

The main components of coronation chicken are chicken, curry powder, mango chutney, dried raisins, and mayo. This recipe is a vegan version of this classic sandwich filling.

What bread should I use for this recipe?

Use your favourite bread to make this the ultimate sandwich for you! You could use seeded granary bread, ciabatta rolls, a wrap, a crusty roll…whatever you love best for a sandwich. I personally always go for a lovely slice of seeded bread.

Other Recipes You Might Like

Other chickpea recipes you might like include this super easy chickpea curry, but if you’re looking for some more easy lunch inspiration you need to try these tortilla pizzas!

More recipes I think you’ll like:

• Roasted Chickpea Flatbreads with Garlic Feta Sauce
• Harissa Roasted Chickpeas with Whipped Feta
• Chickpea Salad Recipe