Did you know that January 16th is International Croquet Day? In Spain, they celebrate it with competition of cooking croquetas. If you try it, you will want to make it yourself! The key to making tasty croquettes is in the dough. Traditional croquettes are made from bechamel sauce. To make them melt in your mouth, follow the recipe closely. Let’s make chicken and ham croquettes together!
Ingredients
- Milk — 500 ml.
- Flour — 160 gr.
- Boiled or fried chicken — 120 gr.
- Bulb — 1 small piece
- Diced ham 40 gr.
- Butter — 150 gr.
- A pinch of nutmeg
- Eggs — 2 pcs.
- Breadcrumbs — 100 g.
- Olive oil — 300 ml.
- Salt to taste
How to make chicken and ham croquetas
Step 1. Start by frying some chopped onion in butter, then add finely chopped chicken. Next, reduce the heat and add flour while stirring constantly until you get a smooth mixture. After about 3-4 minutes, pour in warm milk in a thin stream while continuing to stir. Add a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and some ham cubes. The resulting béchamel sauce should be thick enough to hold its shape when formed into croquettes. Pour the mixture into a large cup, cover with film and leave in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
Step 2. Once the dough has chilled, use two tablespoons to form it into balls. Shape the balls with your hands that have been dipped in cold water. Roll the balls in breadcrumbs, then in well-beaten eggs and again in breadcrumbs.
Step 3. Fry the croquettes in a skillet with plenty of olive oil so that they are completely submerged. Once they turn golden brown, remove them and place them on a paper towel to allow excess oil to drain. Serve the croquettes on lettuce leaves.
Step 4. Remember that you can change the filling to anything you like, such as tuna, salmon, pork, beef, mushrooms, potatoes, eggplant, or whatever you can think of. However, the cooking method will remain the same.
Tips of cooking Croquetas
- Firstly, it’s important to use milk with a fat content of 3.5% or more to prepare the sauce for the croquettes.
- If you want to enhance the flavor of the croquettes, you can replace some of the milk with broth. However, it’s better not to mix multiple fillings in one type of croquette.
- To ensure the croquettes are uniform in shape, you can use a special ice cream scoop or pastry syringe with a nozzle. But, if you don’t have these tools, you can simply sculpt round balls.
- Before rolling the croquettes in the eggs, make sure to beat them well to prevent cracking while frying.
- When frying, avoid putting more than 2-3 pieces in the oil at a time to monitor their readiness easily.
