Use up leftover cooked chicken with this easy Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Croquettes recipe. Pairs well with any side dish!
Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken croquettes, like beef croquettes, are deep fried balls of ground meat that are held together with a cream sauce. Right before they are fried, they are dipped in beaten egg and rolled in panko or bread crumbs.
If it sounds like it’s not particularly healthy, they’re not. But they are really good once in a while and a perfectly fine way to use up leftover cooked chicken meat if you are tired of the same chicken and broccoli casserole, cutlets, or chicken soup rotations.
Chicken croquettes made into smaller balls are also an easy party appetizer when speared with toothpicks and drizzled with chicken or turkey gravy. Your guests will likely have never seen or tasted them before but will always grab a few more for their plate.
Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Croquettes Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked chicken meat
- 1/2 stick butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk or heavy cream
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup panko crumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Oil or shortening to deep fry
Instructions:
Run the cooked chicken through the food processor (or a blender) until it is ground and finely chopped.
In a small pot, melt 1/2 stick of butter over low-medium heat then whisk in the flour to form a roux. Add the milk to the pot as you whisk.
When the sauce begins to thicken, remove from the heat and add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper.
Add the ground chicken and sauce to a bowl and mix well.
Line a Pyrex baking dish or baking sheet with parchment paper. This will go into the refrigerator for a few hours. Choose your dish based upon what space you have available.
Form croquette balls of equal size and place them on the parchment paper in a single layer.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the mixture to set, up to 24 hours.
Remove the croquettes from the refrigerator and prepare them for frying by dipping each ball in beaten egg, then in panko crumbs to coat.
Fill a dutch oven or deep pot with 6″ of oil and bring the temperature to 375F.
Working in batches, deep fry the chicken croquettes until golden brown or about 4 minutes.
Remove cooked croquettes with a slotted spoon and drain on a dish lined with paper towels.
What to Serve with Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Croquettes
Pennsylvania Dutch chicken croquettes can be served as a main course or appetizer depending on how large the croquettes are.
Smaller croquettes (golf ball size) can be speared with toothpicks and placed on a tray drizzled with gravy for larger parties.
Main course croquettes that are a bit larger in size as the ones shown below are excellent when paired with homemade mashed potatoes, warm German potato salad, spätzle, macaroni and cheese, french fries or hash browns.
Serve them up alongside whatever is easiest to prepare and that you have available in your pantry.
Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Croquettes
Use up leftover cooked chicken with this easy Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Croquettes recipe. Pairs well with any side dish!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken meat
- 1/2 stick butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk or heavy cream
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup panko crumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Oil or shortening to deep fry
Instructions
- Run the cooked chicken through the food processor (or a blender) until it is ground and finely chopped.
- In a small pot, melt 1/2 stick of butter over low-medium heat then whisk in the flour to form a roux.
- Add the milk to the pot as you whisk.
- When the sauce begins to thicken, remove from the heat and add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper.
- Add the ground chicken and sauce to a bowl and mix well.
- Line a pyrex baking dish or baking sheet with parchment paper. This will go into the refrigerator for a few hours. Choose your dish based upon what space you have available.
- Form croquette balls of equal size and place them on the parchment paper in a single layer.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the mixture to set, up to 24 hours.
- Remove the croquettes from the refrigerator and prepare them for frying by dipping each ball in beaten egg, then in panko crumbs to coat.
- Fill a dutch oven or deep pot with 6" of oil and bring the temperature to 375F.
- Working in batches, deep fry the chicken croquettes until golden brown or about 4 minutes.
- Remove cooked croquettes with a slotted spoon and drain on a dish lined with paper towels.
- Serve with gravy and a side of potatoes, German red cabbage, or spätzle.