This recipe for croquetas de pollo, or homemade chicken croquettes is going to be your favorite, easy to make, creamy inside, and with a thin, crispy golden crust. I also give you great ideas that will be very useful. They are very popular and must-have at Christmas time.
Why we ❤️ it
You'd be hard-pressed to find a Dominican who doesn't love croquetas, the most popular variety being Croquetas de Pollo (Chicken Croquettes). Croquetas are part of any decent picadera platter and are served as part of the fancy version of the Dominican Christmas feast.
Although croquetas are popular and well-known in the Dominican Republic, it is not a dish we created; they can be found practically anywhere in the world. And there are many versions and flavors.
What's a croqueta?
Croqueta (croquette, in English) is the name for a type of fritter made of a soft base (roux, mashed potato, rice, etc.). It's mixed with a savory ingredient (chicken, fish, minced beef, etc.), coated in bread, and fried. They are typically shaped like a corkscrew, but they can also be found as a flattened circles.
Creative cooks have made oven-baked croquettes too.
Croquetas de pollo (chicken croquettes).
Serving suggestions
Croquetas, along with pasteles en hoja, kipe, empanadas, and yuca balls, are one of the dishes that always appear on the Dominican picadera platter.
Other dishes that you can add to your party menu are niños envueltos, sandwichon, yuca fries, and fried batata.
I generally do not serve any sauce or dip with croquettes, but you can enjoy them with this easy mayoketchup sauce.
Top tips
- There are many recipes for croquettes. Here is the most common version, but you can prepare other varieties using this basic recipe.
- Substitute the chicken with cheese, tuna, or ham according to your taste. You can make ham croquettes. Change the chicken filling for a cup and a half of shredded ham.
- You can make homemade bread crumbs by pulverizing day-old bread in the food processor or grating dry bread. The panko gives a more uniform texture and color to the croquettes.
- Some people add a pinch of nutmeg to the dough. If you like the idea, you can do it. You can add a pinch of black pepper if the roasted chicken is slightly off-flavored.
About this recipe
Croquettes are one of those dishes that Dominicans prefer to buy rather than make. There is a whole cottage industry that makes these Christmas and holiday favorites, and every family has its preferred supplier.
Making croquettes is more work than buying them pre-made, but while they are a bit time-consuming, they are not difficult to make. So if you also like the contrast between their crunchy crust and the melt-in-the-mouth creaminess of a croquette's center, try our recipe. It served me well.
Video
Recipe
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Croquetas de Pollo [Recipe + Video] Chicken Croquettes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter (salted), divided
- 1 small red onion, minced
- 1 supermarket rotisserie chicken, minced and shredded finely
- ½ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
- 1 teaspoon minced parsley
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk (whole or skim)
- 1 teaspoon salt, (or to taste)
- 2 egg (medium), beaten
- 2 cup breadcrumbs, or panko (see notes)
- 3 cup oil for frying
Instructions
Cooking chicken
In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat to melt butter.Sauté the onion, stirring it until it turns translucent (2-3 minutes). Stir in the chicken and stir until it is heated through.Season with pepper, and parsley. Set aside.
Cooking bechamel
- Heat the remaining butter over medium-low heat until it's melted. Add the flour all at once and whisk vigorously until it's combined with the butter. Cook stirring for two minutes.Add milk slowly while still whisking. Once all the milk has been added, keep stirring until the sauce starts to thicken. Season with salt to taste.Once it thickens enough that it starts lifting from the bottom of the pot remove itfrom the heat. Stir in the chicken until it's combined with the bechamel base. Stir until it cools down a bit.
Forming the croquettes
- There are two ways to form them. You can put the chicken mixture in a pastry bag. Extrude it onto a greased tray or a tray lined with a Silpat. Or form them one by one, shaping them to the size of wine corks.Cover with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Battering
- Remove from the fridge. If you used a pastry bag, cut them into similar-sized croquettes.Dip the croquettes in the eggs, then cover them with breadcrumbs. Cover and freeze for 3 hours, or refrigerate overnight.
Frying
- Heat oil over high heat (375 ºF [190 ºC]) in a small saucepan (there should be enough depth to cover the croquettes). Remove the croquettes from the freezer and immediately Fry them two by two until they turn golden brown.Rest on a paper towel to drain excess oil before serving.
Serving
- They are best served freshly fried, but you can serve them within an hour at room temperature.
Tips and Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
FAQs
Chicken croquettes are made of ground or shredded pre-cooked chicken, flour, whole milk, some fat, and spices.
The caloric content of a croquette varies greatly depending on the ingredients and recipe. These chicken recipes contain about 90 calories each.
Published Nov 20, 2010, revised
