Chicken Croquettes with Cream Sauce

By Addie

I still have leftover cooked turkey in my freezer from Thanksgiving! So after the Christmas turkey, I cooked turkey & rice soup today and am thinking of every which way I can to use the rest of it! This one is comfort food for certain. Makes 6-8 croquettes serving 3-4 people depending or 2 dozen appetizer size cakes

Ingredients

• White Sauce:
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• Salt & freshly ground white pepper to taste
• Chicken Mixture:
• 2 1/2 c. finely chopped cooked chicken (I use my food processor to do this)
• 1 c. finely chopped celery
• 1/2 c. finely chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice or more to taste
• Salt & freshly ground white pepper to taste
• For making the croquettes:
• 1/2 c. plain breadcrumbs (I use Progresso Plain Breadcrumbs)
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• Cream Sauce to serve with Croquettes:
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 c. milk
• 1 c. chicken broth
• Salt & freshly ground white pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Make the White Sauce first. In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes without browning. Salt and pepper to taste. Gradually whisk in milk and chicken broth, stirring constantly, until smoothed and thickened. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 or more minutes.

Make the Chicken Mixture. In a large bowl, blend chicken, celery, onion, and allspice together. Mix in cooled white sauce and blend well. Season mixture to taste with salt & pepper. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

Make the Croquettes. Shape chicken mixture into 2½-inch balls, logs or other shapes. Then roll in breadcrumbs. Heat oil & butter in large skillet and fry on all sides for approximately 15 minutes or until chicken croquettes until browned.

Make the Cream Sauce to serve with Croquettes. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes without browning. Gradually whisk in milk and broth, stirring constantly, until smoothed and thickened. Season to taste with salt & white pepper.

Typically, croquettes are serves over a bed of freshly made mashed potatoes with the Sauce for the Croquettes poured over both.

If serving as appetizers, roll croquettes into ¾-inch balls and proceed to coat but fry for 7-8 minutes only. Good with garlic mayonnaise or Salsa Rosa made from 2 parts mayonnaise to 1 part tomato ketchup. The croquettes can also be served cold, making them excellent picnic food.