Croquetas de Pollo (Chicken Croquettes) is very popular as party food and street food, also common at Dominican Christmas dinner tables.
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.
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 circle.
Creative cooks have made baked versions too.
About this recipe
Croquetas is truly one of those dishes that, along with Pasteles en Hoja, Kipe, Empanadas and several others, Dominicans prefer to buy rather than make for themselves. There's a whole cottage industry making these Christmas and party favorites, and each family has their preferred purveyor.
Making croquetas is clearly more work than buying them ready-made, but although a bit time-consuming, they are not that difficult to prepare. So if you too love the contrast between its crispy crust and the melt-in-your-mouth creaminess of these croquettes, try our recipe. It has served me well.
Recipe
[Recipe + Video] Croquetas de Pollo (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: Heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat.Cook 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 from 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 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 with breadcrumbs. Cover and freeeze 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 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 within an hour at room temperature.
Video
Tips and Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.
