Recipe Swap: Chicken Croquettes

Oh, Friday, we meet again! And this Friday brings another Recipe Swap reveal!! The theme this time was Celebrity Chef Recipes, and what cook doesn't like at least one celebrity chef?? I received this Chef Larry recipe from Mary Ellen, and it was amazing! I had never heard of Chef Larry, but thanks to Mary Ellen I was able to make an amazing dish, with a wonderful gravy. I forget how much I like gravy sometimes...yum yum! Mary Ellen has a ton of great recipes on her site, so head over and check it out!

Chicken Croquettes with Gravy

Source: Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creations, a Chef Larry recipe

Croquette Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp freshly chopped parsley leaves
• Salt
• 1/4 lb butter (1 stick)
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 lbs chicken meat, cooked and ground in a food processor
• Canola oil

Breading Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cup milk
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 cup all purpose flour or cracker meal (I used flour)
• 3 cup bread crumbs

Chicken Gravy Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 cup chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• Pinch white pepper and salt

Preparation

1. Making the croquettes: In a heavy pot, heat the milk and stock on the stove and add the white pepper, parsley, and salt. In a separate pot, melt the butter and add the celery. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the hot milk/stock mixture and stir until thickened and smooth. Fold in the chicken and allow to cool.
2. Breading the croquettes: Shape 3 oz portions of the croquette batter into small balls and place on a tray lined with wax paper. Set out three bowls/breading dishes. In the first, make an egg wash with the egg, milk, and salt. The second bowl is flour, the third is breadcrumbs. Dip the croquettes into the egg wash, then flour, then egg wash again, then breadcrumbs.
3. Cooking the croquettes: Fry the croquettes in about 1 inch of oil, heated to 350 degrees until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Drain well and blot on paper towels.
4. Cooking the gravy: Melt the butter in a 1 or 2 qt saucepan. Stir in the flour. Pour in the stock and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add the parsley, white pepper, and salt to taste.
5. Serve over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice.