Oven Chicken Croquettes
Submitted by cg001c4868
Oven chicken croquettes bake instead of frying, with cooked chicken bound in thick bechamel, rolled in parmesan breadcrumbs, and drizzled with butter for a golden crust. A lighter take on a retro American classic.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsClassic croquettes deep-fry in oil, but this version skips the pot of frying fat entirely. Chopped cooked chicken gets bound in a thick bechamel sauce, mixed with eggs and breadcrumbs for structure, and chilled until firm enough to shape. Then the ovals roll in a parmesan-breadcrumb coating, get drizzled with melted butter, and bake to golden brown in 30 minutes.
The technique is close to a Spanish croqueta at heart, relying on a tight roux-based sauce to bind shreds of meat. Baking rather than frying means the outside is toasty and crisp rather than shatter-crisp, but far less messy. Use a rotisserie chicken to cut the prep in half.
Chef Tips
- Cook the roux a full two minutes before adding liquid as directed. A raw roux tastes pasty and starchy, and you cannot mask it once the croquettes bake.
- Chill the mixture the full two hours. Warm croquette base is too loose to shape into clean ovals and will flatten into blobs on the sheet.
- Wet your hands before shaping. The mixture is sticky, and damp hands form smooth, even ovals instead of rough, cracked ones.
- Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the tops. This replaces the fat the croquettes would normally absorb during frying and is what produces the golden-brown crust in the oven.
Variations
- Swap the chicken for leftover turkey after Thanksgiving for a perfect next-day-turkey use.
- Add finely chopped mushrooms and a splash of sherry to the bechamel for a more Spanish-style croqueta flavor.
- Serve with honey mustard or a creamy dijon mustard dipping sauce alongside.
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium-size saucepan, melt 3 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes without browning.
Gradually whisk in milk and broth and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened.
Remove from heat; let cool for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1 cup bread crumbs, parsley, salt and eggs.
Mix well. Pour in sauce, blend, and cover. Chill for 2 hours, until set.
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Combine Parmesan cheese and remaining ¼ c. bread crumbs in a shallow dish.
Shape chicken mixture into 2½ to 3 inch balls, then roll into ovals (makes about 8).
Roll croquettes in bread crumb mixture.
Arrange croquettes in a greased 12×8×2-inch baking dish . Melt remaining 2 tablespoon butter and drizzle over croquettes. Bake 30 minutes, until golden brown.
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