Chicken Croquettes

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Chicken croquettes are always pretty on the dinner table, especially when you have guests. These are little balls of ground chicken and potatoes coated in breadcrumbs, then shallow fried until crisp and golden. You can even stuff them with cheese.

Croquettes are also called chicken balls or chicken fingers. Though, I think they are too fat to be called fingers. Don't you?

As a child, mom made many croquettes recipes. But, they were always from scratch, never with leftover ingredients. Over the years, living abroad, I've mostly seen people use leftover meat to make croquettes, shepherds pie, or meat pies.

Today, I'm going to show you how I make these from scratch, and yet, you can also use leftovers in the fridge as stated below. You can also stuff these with cheese to make cheese-stuffed croquettes

Table of Content

• Why make these croquettes
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Step by step instructions
• Recipe notes
• Frequently asked questions
• You may also like
• Recipe

Why make these croquettes

• These are simple and easy to make, and yet, very impressive to serve.
• You can make these ahead of time and fry them just before serving. Or, you can make all the components and put it all together an hour before you are ready to serve.
• There are three components to these croquettes:
  • Meat - you can use ground chicken or beef and make it from scratch, as I have done, or you can use leftover chicken. All you do is shredded the chicken, either with a fork or in the food processor. It can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
  • Potatoes - this is the binding ingredient. I boiled the potatoes and grated them. But, you can also mash them. Grating adds a nice texture, which I prefer. You can also use leftover mashed potatoes from a day or two in the fridge or make the potatoes up to 2 days ahead of time.
  • Cheese-stuffed - this is, of course, optional. You can make the classic, the way mom used to make it or stuff it with some cheese for a modern twist.
  • Assemble - the ingredients for bringing these all together. This can be done an hour before you are ready to serve.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Chicken - I am making the chicken from scratch. And yet, you can also use 4 cups of shredded cooked chicken.
• Potatoes - Have leftover mashed potatoes? Use it. I boiled potatoes for this dish.
• Ginger and garlic - Give a nice zing to the chicken. And yet, do not add more than mentioned in the recipe.
• Mustard - A perfect combination for chicken. But, you can use less or omit it completely.
• Herbs - I use parsley, but any herbs, even cilantro, would work great for these croquettes.
• Lemon juice - Helps round up all the flavors. You can also use ½ tsp vinegar for this dish.
• Cheese - I like the nutty flavor from parmesan and the sharpness from the cheddar.
• Stuffed cheese - Again, I like to use sharp cheddar. And yet, you can also use mozzarella or string cheese. Mozzarella gives that stringy melted cheese that kids love

Step by step instructions

Ground chicken

• In a skillet, add the oil and sauté onions until translucent. Then, add the ginger and garlic. Followed by the ground chicken.
• Sauté until the chicken is no longer pink, making sure to break it apart so you don't have big lumps.
  Pro tip - large lumps will make shaping the croquettes difficult so break as many lumps as possible.
• Season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped parsley and lemon juice. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  Pro tip - excess liquid will make soggy croquettes and very difficult to hold their shape. So make sure all the liquid is evaporated
• Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely. It is better to work with the mixture when cooled
  Pro tip - Ensure the chicken does not have large chunks of meat. If necessary, use a fork to break it all into small pieces or give it a quick pulse in the food processor.

Potatoes

• Mashed potatoes - Use leftover mashed potatoes for this dish. Alternatively, boil two large potatoes until fork tender. Peel and grate it - then, cool completely.

Shape

• Classic croquettes
  • Take small golf size amounts in your hands. Shape into a ball then rolls into a sausage. Set aside while you make the remaining.
    Pro tip - using moist hands dipped in water prevents the mixture from sticking to your hands.
• Or Cheese stuffed croquettes
  • Cut the block of cheese into small 2 x 4 cm pieces. You can make them smaller if you prefer to make small-size croquettes.
  • Take small golf size amounts in your hands. Shape into a ball, flatten it on the palm of your hand. Place a piece of cheese then, bring the sides over the cheese and shape it into a sausage. Set aside while you make the remaining.
    Pro tip - using moist hands dipped in water prevents the mixture from sticking to your hands.

Coat and fry

• Coating mixture - Have three bowls or trays at the ready.
  • Bowl one - add the flour - season with salt and pepper.
  • Bowl two - beat the egg, season with salt and pepper.
  • Finally, bowl three - add breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper.
• Coat each croquette with the flour mixture. Then, coat with the egg mixture. Finally, generously coat it with breadcrumbs.
  Pro tip - I use one hand for the flour and breadcrumbs and the other hand for the breadcrumbs to keep it less messy.
• Coat all the croquettes and set them aside. These can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
• When ready to serve, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet and shallow fry these turning often until they are crisp and golden on all sides.
• Serve along with ketchup and mayo.

Recipe notes

• You can use ground chicken breast or thighs. Chicken breast cooks fast and can dry out 
• Cook the chicken until all the water has evaporated
• Cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender. You want them soft so they work as glue to hold everything together. 
• Cool the chicken and potatoes well before you assemble the ingredients otherwise the cheese will make and make it difficult to shape
• When shaping the croquettes, roll into a tight ball first then into a sausage. If you don't make a tight ball the croquettes will fall apart when frying
• Turn the croquettes on all sides when cooking them so the breadcrumbs get nicely toasted. Remember it is cooked inside just needs a nice crisp golden color on the outside. 
• These are often served with kitchen and mayo but try other sauces and dips too. My kids love cheese sauce on the side as well. 

Frequently asked questions

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Recipe

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