As you may or may not know, my favorite croquettes are ham croquetas.

But you know what though, these croquetas de pollo actually came out pretty freaking delicious. And they are a great option for using up leftover chicken!

What are Croquetas de Pollo?

Croquetas de Pollo translates to chicken croquettes. Essentially, they’re logs of chicken that are breaded and fried to perfection. They make the best snack!

Let me show you how to make them.

croquetas de pollo stacked on a white plate

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Cooked chicken. You can boil chicken breast and then shred using two forks. Alternatively, you can use leftover chicken breast, chicken thighs, or store-bought rotisserie chicken.
  • Unsalted butter.
  • White onion.
  • All-purpose flour.
  • Whole milk.
  • Nutmeg, salt, pepper.
  • Dry cooking wine
  • Eggs.
  • Breadcrumbs.
  • Vegetable oil. For frying.

How To Make Croquetas de Pollo

  • Make a roux. In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter and sauté with onion on medium-low heat until translucent. Slowly whisk in the milk, 1/3 cup of flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Constantly stir until a thick sauce forms – a roux.
  • Mix in the chicken. Add the cooking wine and cooked chicken to the sauce. Mix it all together slowly. Let it simmer for 5 minutes on low heat. Transfer to a bowl.
  • Chill the filling. Let the filling rest at room temperature then refrigerate for 2 hours. The mixture has to harden in order to form into logs and coat evenly. If this step is skipped, it will be very hard to form logs, coat with breading and fry. This is an important step. Don’t skip it.
  • Form the logs. Remove filling from refrigerator. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of the mixture and form a log 3″ long and about 1″ thick. Repeat until you have all the croquettes done.
  • Bread the logs. In a bowl, whisk eggs and set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour and bread crumbs. Dip each croquette in egg and then cover in bread crumbs. Let them rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before frying.
  • Fry the croquetas. In a large skillet, add enough vegetable oil to cover the croquettes completely. Make sure the oil is at 375 degrees F. Fry each one until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove croquettes from oil and drain on paper towel lined plates.

Hope you make them and you LOVE them!

chicken croquettes on a white plate with a bitten one

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Crispy Fried Croquetas de Pollo (Cuban Chicken Croquettes)

Croquetas de pollo(or chicken croquettes) are a classic Cuban appetizer. Crispy, crunchy, and bite-size, a shredded chicken filling is coated in breadcrumbs then fried in vegetable oil until perfectly golden. For best results, let the filling rest at room temperature then refrigerate it for 2 hours before frying.

Ingredients
 

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon white onion, chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon dry cooking wine
  • 1 pound cooked shredded chicken, (use leftovers or store-bought rotisserie chicken)
  • 2 large eggs, whisked
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter and sauté with onion on medium-low heat until translucent.
  • Slowly whisk in the milk, 1/3 cup of flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Constantly stir until a thick sauce forms – a roux.
  • Add the cooking wine and cooked chicken to the sauce. Mix it all together slowly. Let it simmer for 5 minutes on low heat. Transfer to a bowl.
  • Let the filling rest at room temperature then refrigerate for 2 hours. The mixture has to harden in order to form into logs and coat evenly. If this step is skipped, it will be very hard to form logs, coat with breading, and fry. This is an important step. Don’t skip it.
  • Remove filling from refrigerator. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of the mixture and form a log 3″ long and about 1″ thick. Repeat until you have all the croquettes done.
  • In a bowl, whisk eggs and set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour and bread crumbs.
  • Dip each croquette in egg and then cover in bread crumbs. Let them rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before frying.
  • In a large skillet, add enough vegetable oil to cover the croquettes completely. Make sure the oil is at 375 degrees F. Fry each one until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes.
  • Remove croquettes from oil and drain on paper towel lined plates. Serve and enjoy!
Serving: 1croquette, Calories: 168kcal, Carbohydrates: 2.7g, Protein: 9.7g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3.7g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 127mg, Potassium: 9mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 1.2g, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 0.5mg
Did You Make This?I want to know! Leave a comment & recipe rating below or tag @asassyspoon on social media!