Taste these CHICKEN CROQUETTES

by: Vialyn Felipe

Looking for more affordable, delicious and yet a meaty food? You better try this Chicken Croquettes. It is cheaper compared to the other dishes because it makes use of chicken. Unlike the pork or beef which are costly and some can’t afford to buy one because it is somehow expensive. If you like to serve some special and a different dish and have only a little budget, why don’t you try to cook Chicken Croquettes.

                Miniature fried foods like patties and also the fillings of the Relyenong Bangus are some of my favorite bites. I’d like to eat anything bite-sized that is fried and crispy. And based on the internet’s description, these Chicken Croquettes offer something a little different from those miniature fried foods I have tasted before. According to the internet, the Spanish version of these Croquettes are bound with a thick, buttery cross between béchamel sauce and egless pate a coux dough. The base which is floury is mixed with the ground meat, either pork or fish and cooled. Then it is shaped into cylinders but in other version, it can be circular. Based from the word “Croquettes” which means a ball of ground meat, fish or potato seasoned and fried brown.  The term Croquettes comes from the French word croquer which means “to crunch”.And because of the butter as one of its fillings, the Croquettes taste a bit creamy and its lush interior that spill out or comes out when you bite the crispy breadcrumb coating.

                If you do want to try this Chicken Croquettes at home, I will recommend you this recipe which I got from the magazine.  You need 2 chicken breast fillets, each weighing about 150 g, 2 tbsp. Olive oil, 3 eggs, 2 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp flour, 1 ½ cup of milk, salt and pepper, 1 ¾ cups breadcrumbs, 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg and an oil for frying.

Here is the procedure. First, fry the chicken breast to the olive oil. 5 minutes per side. Second,  Remove it on the pan when cook and set it aside, let it cool. Chop it into smaller pieces and put in on a blender. Add one egg and one egg yolk. This will serve as the chicken paste. Next, melt the butter in the pan.  Put flour and mix it until it becomes yellow in color.  Pour in the milk and mix. When it is boiling, lower the heat and cook it for ten minutes more. Remove it on the stove, mix the chicken paste and add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Beat the eggs together with its egg yolk. Use a wet spoon to scoop the mixture and shape it. Afterwards, dip it in the eggs before rolling it into the breadcrumbs. Fry it on the pan. Lastly, drain the excess oil by putting it in the paper towel and serve.

Like other foods, you can toast it and cook or fry it according to the crispness you want. Serve it the nicest way you can so that it will appear more delicious and presentable.

Usually, croquettes are fried food roll with the ingredients like mashed potatoes and/or ground meat, cheese and vegetables with the brown sauce. It also has spices and herbs and with the combination of milk, wine and beer. Sometimes, croquettes have special fillings like boiled eggs (Scotch eggs).

Oftentimes the croquettes that use mashed potatoes as fillings are often served as a side dish in winter meals on holiday like Christmas.

 But in fast food cuisines, the fillings of croquettes have variety based on béchamel sauce. In India, Croquettes are used to serve with a stew. They are mostly eaten as snacks and also sell as a street or road side food.

To make it easier for you to shape the croquettes, I’d recommend that you cool first the chicken mixture. When the mixture has firmed up, you should turn it out of the pan and then slice it using a knife. According to what I’ve read, it is better that you slice the mixture using a knife sprayed with a little cooking spray. Shape the croquettes. Chicken croquettes taste better if you add a little amount of lemon squeezed on it.

photos from: www.vegajardin.com

These Chicken Croquettes are healthy unlike those pork dishes that may harm your health because it adds fats to your body. For the moms out here, this is one kind of food which your kids will like because of the creamy taste. It is perfect for kids because you can add vegetables like potatoes and carrots that are nutritious for the body. This is one way of feeding your kids without pursuing them to eat vegetables. Your kids will surely love it.

                Chicken Croquettes is also perfect for dinner and lunch time as well as picnic time and for any occasion.  You can serve and eat it whenever and wherever you like for it is easy to cook, bite-sized and is nutritious. It is like the Chicken Cordon Blue which was crispy on the outside and tastes creamy on the inside because of the butter that brings the creamy taste. The finished Croquettes are an amazing surprise because the crisp coating breaks away into a very creamy filling.

You better prepare this Chicken Croquettes and serve to your kids so that instead of eating chocolates and other junk foods that contain high amount of salts and sugars, they would rather have these Croquettes that are good for their health.