CHICKEN & SERRANO HAM CROQUETTES

 

I love croquettes, it is one of the dishes I grew up with in Catalonia. They are very popular with young children, and many times they are made in big batches and frozen so that they are always available. They have many variations, and you can make them with ham, cheese, fish, potatoes, etc., but these ones made with chicken are the most popular ones. They are delicious! Many times, people use the leftover chicken from a roast or a casserole to make the croquettes. Some people also add some mash potato in the mix, but they are not as 'melting in the mouth' as these ones. This is a very old recipe from a book that I inherited from my grandmother and it is called 'Art de ben menjar' - (The art of eating well)!!

Ingredients

25g butter 

1 medium onion, chopped finely

100g Serrano ham or prosciutto, finely chopped

500g chicken breasts or thighs, previously cooked (it can be leftover roast chicken), finely chopped

3 Tbsp plain flour

500ml milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

50g butter, extra

1 egg, beaten

breadcrumbs

Peanut or vegetable oil for deep frying

Preparation

Fry the butter and chopped onion in a frying pan. When it has browned, add ham and boiled or roast chicken, all finely chopped; stir a few times and add three large tablespoons of flour, salt, pepper and half a litre of milk; leave to boil, stirring all the time until it is nice and thick. Remove from the heat, add 50g of butter, cover and leave to cool for a couple of hours or overnight in the fridge.  

Make the croquettes. I made some large ones for dinner, and smaller ones for sharing as tapas or mezze.  

Beat the egg in a small bowl. Put the breadcrumbs in another bowl or plate.

Get 1 - 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture, and shape the dough into croquettes. Dip in the beaten egg and then coat well with the breadcrumbs. Transfer to the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Put the peanut or vegetable oil in a medium pot or frypan or deep fryer. When the oil is hot, dip the croquettes in it, a few at a time, until all browned and cooked through. About 3 - 4 minutes. Transfer to a platter with kitchen paper and keep warm.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4 - 6

Here served with Lentil and pickled shallot salad with berbère croutons, a fantastic recipe from Ottolenghi.