Spanish Chicken Croquetas with Creamy Béchamel
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Creamy chicken béchamel is chilled, shaped and coated in crumbs before frying to a golden crisp, giving warm, molten croquetas inside.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Cook Chicken. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan on medium, salt the chicken and cook until it reaches 74°C, about 10 minutes, then cool, chop and grind finely in a food processor.
- 2
Soften Onion. Melt the butter in a second pan on medium and cook the finely chopped onion gently until soft and clear but not coloured, about 12 minutes.
- 3
Heat Milk. Bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, then cover and keep hot.
- 4
Make Roux. Sift the flour over the onion and stir constantly for 2 minutes until it forms a moist ball.
- 5
Thicken. Spread the mixture out and gradually stir in the hot milk until thick, creamy and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes.
- 6
Fold. On low heat fold in the ground chicken and cook for 2 minutes until the mixture holds together, then spread in a bowl, cool, cover and chill for several hours until firm.
- 7
Shape. On a floured board, shape the mixture into 5-6 cm logs about 2.5 cm thick and roll lightly in flour.
- 8
Coat. Dip each log in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs, to coat fully.
- 9
Fry. Heat 2 cm oil in a pan over medium-high, lower to medium-low and fry in small batches, turning, until golden and hot and creamy inside, about 2 minutes; drain on paper and serve hot.
Storage
Shape and chill the mixture up to a day ahead; once fried, croquetas are best eaten hot and freshly cooked rather than kept. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 4 g protein per 100 kcal, about 16% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
Per serving, from the nutrition table. Condition from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0.9 g per serving
1.8 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 3.6 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large frying pan
- food processor
- second frying pan or sauté pan
- medium saucepan with lid
- wooden spoon
- large bowl
- cling film
- 2 shallow bowls
- kitchen paper
- digital thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 374 kcal |
| Protein | 14.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 25.8 g |
| of which sugars | 5.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.9 g |
| Fat | 23.4 g |
| of which saturates | 8.5 g |
| Fibre | 1.3 g |
| Salt | 1 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
