Homemade Chicken Croquettes
Old-Fashioned Food with Flair
Croquettes are small, round foods usually made of minced meat, fish, or vegetable coated with egg and bread crumbs, and then deep-fried. They are commonly served with a cream or tomato sauce, but they are equally good plain.
Do you know how to say "croquette"?
My mother made these as I was growing up, and I learned how to make them from watching and helping her in the kitchen.
My favorite type of croquette is a chicken one, and here I'll show you how to make them. Made from ordinary ingredients you normally have on hand, these tasty morsels will get rave reviews from your family!
Chicken Croquettes - Recipe and Directions
Croquettes are good for being sneaky. You can finely chop most any vegetable and hide it inside--carrots, mushrooms, peppers. Use about 1/2 cup. You can see I put celery into my recipe!
Ingredients
- celery, chopped -- 1/2 cup
- onion, chopped -- 1/2 cup
- cream of mushroom soup -- 1 cup (one can) (There's a homemade recipe below if you have the time!)
- chicken, cooked and chopped -- 2 1/2 cups
- bread crumbs -- 1 1/2 cups
- Coating:
- bread crumbs -- 1 1/2 cups
- 2 eggs, beaten
- oil for frying
Instructions
- I sauté the onion and celery in a bit of water to soften.
- Then I mix all the ingredients with my hands. It should cling together but not be too sticky.
- Form meatball-sized balls or logs.
- Dip the croquettes into beaten egg then roll in more bread crumbs.
Tip
This is a great recipe for using up bread crumbs since it takes several cups worth. Whenever your bread is stale, just crumb it by hand or in a food processor and store it in the freezer in a plastic bag until you want to make croquettes.
Then fry the croquettes in hot oil. For a healthier version you can bake the croquettes for 20 minutes. Of course, the traditional way of making croquettes is to fry them and they are so very satisfying fried!
Usually if I bake them, I make a gravy or use more cream of mushroom soup to top them. But with frying, they don't seem to need any sauce. Some rice and a vegetable rounds out the meal.
Croquette -- Why the Strange Name?
Croquette comes from the French sound word croquer meaning to crunch.
Say it outloud (click for pronunciation). Doesn't it sound a bit like the sound of biting into the crispy fried shell of a chicken croquette?
What do you like on top of your croquettes?
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
I make homemade cream of mushroom soup. It's not difficult as you might think. And I love that it's free from all the chemicals in processed soups. Once you taste the flavor of homemade, you will become a convert and never go back to canned again. Homemade soup tastes rich and slightly sweet. Canned soup only tastes salty in comparison.
This recipe will make two cups -- enough for the croquettes and some left over for sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
- 2 Tbsp. finely minced onion
- 6 Tbsp. butter
- 6 Tbsp. flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup of chicken stock
Instructions
- Sauté the onions and mushrooms until soft; remove to a plate or bowl.
- Melt the butter in a pan and add flour and salt, whisking constantly. When mixed and bubbly, slowly pour in the liquid ingredients and continue whisking.
- Simmer until thick.
- Then add back the mushrooms and onions.
More With Less
The recipe for cream of mushroom soup is actually "basic white sauce" (plus mushrooms) from the More-with-Less cookbook. This particular recipe features four variations depending on the thickness you desire -- thin, medium, medium-thick, and thick. What I shared with you is a double portion of the medium-thick to resemble canned, condensed soup. (But oh, so much better!)
This is one of my favorite cookbooks. It is all cooking from scratch. You won't find any processed foods or pre-packaged convenience foods among the ingredients.
Questions & Answers
Chicken Croquettes Guestbook
Can you freeze chicken croquettes before they are fried?
I love potato croquettes, but your recipe looks yummy! I'd like to try it some time.
yum, I just found these tasty things last month, sounds good
I've never tried chicken croquettes. I always make salmon. Will try this.
ooooo I want to make some now!
Really nice recipes, must give the mushroom soup a try, thanks for sharing.
I had a Spanish friend that used to make these all the time for parties and everyone loved them. His recipe called for making a bechamel...the mushroom soup idea sounds great too. I may have to attempt this :)
i have to try this soon!it's making me hungry just by looking at them...
wow two recipes in one lens -- a nice surprise with the mushroom soup -- wish you'd use the recipe gadget / module so it could be printed
Ummm....Yummy....I'm so hungry right now and there's nothing in my fridge...haven't got time to do any shopping lately. Gotta try this recipe soon though. Looks very tasty.
Can't wait to try.....Thanks for sharing:)
Yummy! These look delicious... I need to make these pretty soon, thanks for sharing :)
I haven't made these in forever! I'm going to have to add them to my to-do list. Thanks for the inspiration.
Back in to say...May the luck of the Irish be with you today...*blessed and featured on http://www.squidoo.com/my-angel-wings :*
I just may have to try this, looks good to me.
Yummy! Awesome lens and recipe!
These look delicious! They look like they would be great as an appetizer or a main dish. Most Excellent!
Oh this looks so yummy! I also like that you posted the homemade cream of mushroom soup recipe. I'm going to try that. Lensrolled it :)
Croquettes, whether chicken, potato, prawns, cheese, etc. are still a starter in some family gatherings here in Western Europe and especially in Belgium where they are appreciated a lot :)
Yum! You're making me hungry.
Thanks for sharing and thanks for the blessing. I appreciate it.
Lizzy
Yummy and the pdf is a great idea and super convenience! Thank you!
Yummy! I will have to download the recipe. This really looks good.
Wonderful lens, I love croquettes too. 5*****
It looks delicious!
These look yummy Jimmie and including a downloadable pdf is a touch of genius. OMG (that's Oh My Gosh) - you've just been Blessed by an Angel!
I have never made these but they do sound good. Thanks for making it so easy to print the recipe, I love that feature!
OK now you're talking! Something I can truly sink my teeth into -- that would be a chicken croquette. These look mighty yummy and I'd be sneaking in plenty a chopped vegie for hubby too. Thank you for making this look so good. And like that downloadable PDF of the recipe.
I've never had these, but I can tell by the ingredients that I'd like them. Great work! Squid Angel blessed.
Beautiful job... I also like to make homemade mushroom soup, and I'll try your recipe next time. Squid Angel Blessings to you.
Love this lens! You've used so many creative tools that I hadn't thought of using on lenses like the downloadable recipe PDF and the link to the pronunciation of Croquette (I should add the pronunciation of Giverny to my Monet lens because no one knows how to say that word). Great photos and tips. I've had several different croquettes in Europe, but I've never made them at home. These sound delicious! 5*
These sound yummy! Lensrolled and featured on http://www.squidoo.com/saucepans
I've heard the word "croquette" before but honestly never knew what it meant ... till now. Looks yummy! So ... what time is dinner?
we make Salmon Croquettes but I have never had the chicken ones. Sounds wonderful
This looks so good I must give it a try 5*
beautiful lens!
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