How to Make Homemade Chicken Croquettes

Old-Fashioned Food With Flair

Croquettes are small, round foods usually made of minced meat, fish, or vegetables coated with egg and breadcrumbs 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!

If you have kids who aren't fond of vegetables, croquettes are good for being sneaky. You can finely chop almost any vegetable and hide it inside—carrots, mushrooms, or peppers, for example. Use about a half a cup. You can see I put celery into my recipe!

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup (or can) cream of mushroom soup (or try the homemade recipe below if you have the time!)
• 2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

For the coating:

• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten

For frying:

• Cooking oil

Instructions

1. Sauté the onion and celery with a bit of water to soften.
2. Mix all of the filling ingredients (I use my hands). It should cling together but not be too sticky.
3. Form meatball-sized balls or logs.
4. Dip each croquette into the beaten egg; then roll it in bread crumbs.
5. 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!

If baking:
If I bake them, I make a gravy or use more mushroom soup to top them off. If you're frying, then they usually don't need any sauce.

Breadcrumb Tip

This is a great recipe for using up breadcrumbs since it takes several cups worth. Whenever your bread is stale, just crumble it by hand or in a food processor and store it in the freezer in a plastic bag until you want to make croquettes.

Croquette: Why the Strange Name?

"Croquette" comes from the French word croquer, meaning to crunch. Say it out loud. Doesn't it sound a bit like the sound of biting into something crispy?

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I make homemade cream of mushroom soup. It's not as difficult as you might think, and I love that it's free from all the chemicals used 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 leftover for sauce.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chicken stock

Instructions

1. Sauté the onions and mushrooms until soft and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a pan and add flour and salt, whisking constantly. When mixed and bubbly, slowly pour in the milk and stock and continue whisking.
3. Simmer until thick, then add 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, or thick. What I shared with you is a double portion of the medium-thick to resemble canned, condensed soup. (But oh, so much better!)