Recipe | Chicken Croquettes

I would like to have some recipes in my repertoire that can be made on a Sunday, and keep for the rest of the week as leftovers, but aren't beans or pasta. So, I thought I'd give croquettes a try. (I became a believer in Guatemala that anything fried can keep unrefrigerated almost indefinitely.) These are basically fried chicken meatballs, or non-vegetarian falafel. Yum.

This recipe is adapted from the Picayune's Creole Cook Book, so you don't have to boil a whole young chicken or buy a big bucket of lard.

Ingredients

• 12 chicken tenders (or 3 chicken breasts)
• 2 eggs
• 1 small onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs of parsley
• 1 large tablespoon of butter
• 1 cup of fresh bread crumbs
• 1 cup of powdered bread crumbs
• 1/2 milk
• 1 tsp of salt
• Cayenne (or black) pepper to taste
• Vegetable or canola oil

Directions

1. Boil chicken in salted water
2. Chop bay leaves, parsley, and onion
3. When chicken is cold, roughly shred with hands to remove gristlely bits
4. Chop well, and season with herbs and onion
5. Mix one egg into milk
6. Soak fresh bread crumbs in milk/egg mixture
7. Mix everything thoroughly
8. Season mixture to taste
9. Roll mixture into small balls, and brush with a little melted butter
10. Roll ball in beaten egg, and then roll in in powdered bread crumbs
11. Fry in oil
12. Serve hot with fresh vegetables

 

The only problem with this dish was that the Old Man ate all the freaking croquettes! There were no leftovers. (I was planning on keeping the leftovers, and quickly heating them up in the oven at 350 degrees until warm during the week. Oh well -- maybe next time!)