Chicken croquettes: the saving dinner

How noble are chicken croquettes ? With a simple recipe, they adapt to everything, and their main ingredient is the chicken you had leftover from yesterday's meal . Such geniuses! Welcome to a new chapter in Paulina Cocina . Come in, get comfortable, and pay close attention because from now on this recipe is going to become your favorite lifesaver ✨

Croquettes, and chicken croquettes in particular, are an excellent way to use up any leftovers you have, whether for a summer appetizer or dinner. Today we're making some delicious chicken croquettes that won't take more than 30 minutes to make ✔️.

About chicken croquettes

There's a rumor in the neighborhood that croquettes are made with a secret formula for pleasure . Not only do they appeal to almost everyone, but they're always well received no matter the time or place. I agree with this: they're the best thing ever.

It doesn't care about ages, standards, or clichés; you'll have seen that there are hundreds of ways and forms of making them. These include potato croquettes , croquettes with mushrooms, croquettes with chorizo, croquettes with chicken, croquettes with pork, croquettes with mushrooms and truffles, croquettes with seafood, croquettes with vegetables, croquettes with caramelized onions, croquettes with salmon, croquettes with blood sausage , and so on. To prove it, here's the recipe for potato, blood sausage, and spinach croquettes , a success from another planet.

Where did they come from? What's their history? We have no doubt they've been around since before the beginning of the 19th century. A story circulating around suggests that a French chef named Antonin Careme may have been the inventor of this little gem. It's said that one of the dishes he served at a banquet for the Prince of England was croquettes "à la royale."

Back to the beginning , chicken croquettes are one of the most popular and beloved appetizers, that's clear. The ingredients used to make them are very simple, mainly those used to make a béchamel sauce, and they're also very quick to cook.

What to serve with chicken croquettes

They can be accompanied with a light side dish like salad or rice to make them more nutritious. In any case, today's recipe proves that croquettes can be eaten in a healthy yet tasty way.

For a different option, here's the simplest way to make tomato sauce, a perfect dip for these croquettes as a snack:

1. Chop 2 clean tomatoes along with 1 tablespoon of fresh basil and 2 minced garlic cloves. Set aside.
2. Place ½ a pot of cream cheese (Philadelphia-type) in a separate container and mix with 3 tablespoons of milk until well combined.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, and basil along with the cheese and milk. Add a drizzle of olive oil, salt to taste, and ground black pepper.
4. Mix everything until a uniform cream forms. 

Serve cold with the croquettes.

Anyway, remember that in this video, Paulina taught us how to make six easy sauces to accompany all our meals. Choose the one you like best and that's it!

ONE LAST TIP: The best thing I can recommend is that one day you prepare to cook croquettes thoroughly and, at once, make a lot of them. Why? Well, the kitchen will get just as dirty if we make 10 croquettes as if we make 50. We store the ones we don't eat well and freeze them.

This recipe is a winner, try it and let me know! See you next time!

Yami.

Ingredients

To make 8 servings of chicken croquettes

• 1 chicken breast or chicken scraps
• 1 green onion
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp. flour
• 400 ml of whole milk
• 200 ml of meat broth
• 4 tbsp. butter
• breadcrumbs
• 1 garlic
• c/n salt
• pepper
• nutmeg
• thyme

How to make chicken croquettes

1. The first step is to cook the eggs and the chicken breast. Once the cooking time is over, peel and chop the egg, and shred the chicken. 
2. Sauté everything in a pan over the heat with a little oil, thyme, and garlic for 10 minutes and set aside.
3. In a separate pan, melt the butter and sauté the chopped onion. When it softens, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon, cooking for another half minute.
4. Add the broth little by little, stirring constantly. Finally, add the milk and continue stirring. Cook over low heat until it thickens.
5. Add the chopped chicken and egg to the mixture. Mix and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add a teaspoon of nutmeg. The sauce should be thick and consistent.
6. Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate until cold.
7. Once cooled, using two spoons, form the croquettes with portions of the dough. Coat them one by one, dipping them in beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs.
8. Fry the croquettes in plenty of oil, making sure the oil doesn't cool between batches.
9. Once golden brown, place them on kitchen paper, removing the excess oil, and serve.