Name: Spanish-Style Chicken Croquettes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 185 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 30g unsalted butter; 1 small onion, very finely diced; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 60g plain flour; 350ml whole milk, warmed; 200g cooked chicken, finely shredded; 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped; ¼ tsp ground nutmeg; ½ tsp fine salt, plus more to taste; ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 50g plain flour; 2 medium eggs, beaten; 120g fine dried breadcrumbs or panko, lightly crushed; About 750ml–1 litre neutral frying oil, depending on pan size

Method

30 mins prep35 mins cook185 mins total

Soften the onion in the butter over a low to medium heat for 6–8 minutes, keeping it pale. Add the garlic for the final 30 seconds.
Work in the 60g filling flour and stir for 1–2 minutes. Whisk in the warm milk a little at a time, smoothing out each addition before pouring in the next.
Stir over a low heat for 5–7 minutes until the sauce is very stiff and comes away from the pan. Stir in parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper; taste the sauce before adding chicken.
Transfer the sauce to a shallow dish and cool quickly. Fold in the cold shredded cooked chicken once the sauce has cooled, cover and refrigerate promptly within 2 hours. Chill for at least 2 hours until firm.
Divide the cold filling into sixteen portions and shape into short cylinders. Set out the 50g coating flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes.
Roll each cylinder through flour, egg and crumbs in that order. Keep coated croquettes refrigerated; allow another 15 minutes chilling if shaping has softened them.
Bring the frying oil to 170–175°C in a deep, heavy pan, no more than one-third full. Use enough oil for the croquettes to move freely and never leave it unattended.
Fry a few croquettes at a time for about 3–4 minutes, carefully turning them. Continue until the centres are piping hot; a probe should register 75°C for 30 seconds. Drain briefly on kitchen paper and serve without delay.

Notes

Finely shredded chicken and a thoroughly chilled filling help the croquettes stay intact. Coat only as many as will be fried and served promptly.

Use cooked chicken that has been cooled and refrigerated safely and has not already been reheated. Cool the filling quickly in a shallow dish and refrigerate within 2 hours; keep it cold during shaping. Fry until piping hot throughout. Eat immediately and do not reheat leftover croquettes made with previously cooked chicken.