Cuban-Style Chicken Croquettes

Another great recipe for using pre-cooked or leftover chicken is to make croquettes! I absolutely love the Cuban chicken croquettes my abuela and mother make, especially with a side of chicken soup loaded with fideos. Actually, my nephews and niece go crazy for my mom’s chicken croquettes, which they adorably dubbed “chicken nutties,” because they taste that good! So, it should be no surprise that the chicken croquette recipe I am sharing is a family recipe. There are actually different ways to make Cuban-style croquettes as there are various ingredient combinations that can be used for the filling.  However, this recipe will focus on a basic chicken croquette. In my family, the croquettes are made alongside sopa de pollo (recipe for Cuban chicken soup here), because the chicken used to make the soup is taken out and converted into croquettes. My family’s croquette and soup recipe is very economical as 3 lbs of chicken makes a large quantity of soup and a dozen relatively large croquettes (or even more if made smaller). This is a typical cooking strategy in Cuban cuisine as it helps get the most out of a minimal amount of ingredients, particularly if your access to food is limited. The croquettes are quite simple to make, and provide a different way to eat chicken that is delicious! The crunchiness of the coating of the croquettes offers the perfect textural contrast to the soft, moist, and smoothness of the chicken filling. So have fun trying out this recipe and enjoy! 

Cuban-Style Chicken Croquette Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pounds of chicken, cooked and then ground 
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• ½ tablespoon of onion powder
• 1 cup of homemade soup broth (recipe found here) or you can use premade canned or cartooned soup broth
• 1 cup breadcrumbs plain, unseasoned (you can use seasoned if you want)
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup of milk

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A frying pan
• A food processor
• 1 medium-sized mixing bowl, 2 dishes at least 1 ½ inches deep, and 1 dish or tray to place the croquettes
• A wire rack
• Utensils (e.g., forks, spoon, tongs)

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS     

    

                                                                  

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect ingredients. First, take the cooked chicken, and remove the bones, skin, and any cartilage. Then finely grind the chicken meat with a food processor.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, put the ground chicken and add the garlic powder, salt, and onion powder. Give it a quick mix. Then add the chicken broth and mix until the chicken mixture has a smooth (not pasty) consistency. (Note: You can add additional broth if needed, but you don’t want the chicken mixture to be too wet, or the croquettes won’t hold their shape or stay crispy once fried.
3. Next, set up a breading station with the chicken mixture, breadcrumbs, egg mixture, and a tray or dish to place the croquettes.
4. First, take a few (3 or 4 tablespoons) of chicken mixture and use your hands to form it into a small log/cylinder about 2 ½ inches long by 1 inch in diameter. Then coat the croquette thoroughly, on all sides with the breadcrumb, and place on a tray or plate. Repeat the process for the rest of the chicken mixture.
5. Now, coat the croquettes a second time. First, use a fork and a spoon to fully coat the croquette in the egg-milk mixture. Next, move the croquette to the breadcrumb and coat thoroughly on all sides. Then place the croquette on your tray or dish. Repeat the process for the rest of the croquettes.
6. Let the croquettes rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before frying (Note: This is an important step, as it helps dry out some of the moisture from the egg in the coating of the croquettes, and make the croquettes crispy once fried).
7. Put oil about a ½ inch deep in a frying pan and heat on high heat. Use a few breadcrumbs to test if the oil is hot enough. If you see bubbles, the oil is ready, and you can begin frying the croquettes.
8. Reduce the heat to medium-high (about a setting of 8), then place the croquettes in the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan as you need room to roll the croquettes to fry them on all sides. Cook the croquettes on each side for about 20 to 25 seconds or until golden brown (Note: the first croquettes put in the frying pan may take longer to brown on the first side, about for 35 to 40 seconds). Continue rotating the croquettes until all sides are golden brown or brown. For the small ends, you can either spoon some oil over the ends or stand the croquettes up using utensils, and hold it in the oil for 20 seconds. Once finished frying, remove the croquettes from the oil and place them on a wire rack. Repeat the process for all of the croquettes. Then place on a plate and serve.

Chicken Salad Sandwich

 

One great way to use leftover chicken or turkey is to make chicken/turkey salad, which could be eaten as a sandwich, with crackers, lettuce, and more! This chicken salad recipe also incorporates apples and napa cabbage to provide a bit of crunch and sweetness! The recipe also uses Greek yogurt dressing instead of mayo to lower the caloric value, without the loss of the creamy texture mayo provides. However, mayo can still be used if that is what you prefer. As a sandwich, it can be topped with spinach, lettuce, cabbage, tomato, onion and so on to create a light, but satisfying meal. So have fun giving this simple recipe a try, get creative, and enjoy!  

Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups of chicken or turkey, finely chopped
• 1 apple, chopped
• 5 tablespoons of dill Greek yogurt (or you can use mayonnaise)
• 1 ½ cups of spinach
• 2 large napa cabbage leaves (or you can use 1 ¼ cups of regular cabbage)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Bread, your choice: rolls, French bread, white or wheat bread, etc.
• Optional toppings: tomato slices, onions, cucumbers, etc. (Get creative!)

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A large bowl, cutting board, spoon, and knife

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. First, collect and prepare the ingredients. Take the napa cabbage and separate the white from the leafy part. Then chop the white part into ¹/₈ inch sized cubes and cut the leafy part of the napa cabbage into ¹/₈ inch thick slices so that it is shredded. Now peel, core the apple, and chop into ¹/₈ inch cubes. Then finely chop the chicken or turkey.

(See the video recipe demonstration for a visual of how to chop the ingredients and how small the ingredients are chopped)

2. In a large bowl add the chopped chicken, white part of the napa cabbage, and apple, then mix thoroughly.
3. Next, add the Greek yogurt dressing (or mayonnaise) and mix thoroughly. Now add salt and pepper to taste. The chicken salad is done and can either be served with crackers or made into sandwiches.
4. To assemble the sandwich, use a 4 by 4 inch piece of bread or a napa cabbage or lettuce leaf.  First, put a few tablespoons (about 4) of the chicken salad mixture, then add some spinach leaves, the shredded leafy part of the napa cabbage and top with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, or any other toppings. Then serve the sandwiches!

Note: The quantities for filling the sandwiches is up to you. This chicken salad recipe can make 3 very filled 4 by 4 inch sandwiches, so adjust how much chicken salad is made or how filled the sandwiches are based on how many people you need to feed.

Turkey Hand Pies

The best part about Thanksgiving is it gives us the opportunity to come together with our family and/or friends and enjoy great food with great company. Making Thanksgiving dinner also produces a lot of leftovers. Over the years, I’ve come up with many ways to use the leftovers. My favorite has to be making turkey hand pies because they can be premade and frozen. This gives the opportunity to eat the pies at a later time, so you don’t have to eat turkey day after day after day….you get my point. That can get boring. The hand pies can be frozen for a month or 2 and are very easy to cook in the oven. The fact that they can just be put on a tray and placed in the oven to cook makes them very convenient.  So give this recipe a try, have fun, and enjoy!    

Turkey Hand Pies Recipe 

(Makes 6 large hand pies)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 batch of pie dough (See Recipe HERE)
• 10 oz of turkey (other meat or vegetarian/vegan alternative)
• 2 1/2 cups of stuffing
• 2 ½ cups of mushroom gravy (See Recipe Here)
• 1 ½ cups of mashed potato
• ½ cup of corn (or other vegetables)
• 1 egg white plus ¼ cup of water

NOTE: the ingredients are adjustable based on whatever you had leftover. Some type of gravy is important as it helps maintain the moisture of the other ingredients during the baking process.

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A cutting board
• Baking sheet(s)
• Rolling pin, spoon, fork, knife, and spatula

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

Pie Dough Recipe Video:

Turkey Hand Pies Recipe Video:

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Take the pie dough and cut into 6 equal portions (or more if you want smaller pies). Then take each portion and roll it into a ball. Next, leave one portion out to work with and cover the remaining dough portions with plastic wrap so they aren’t exposed to the air or they will dry out.
2. Now on a lightly floured surface, take one of the dough portions, press it down to flatten it, and use the rolling pin to roll out the dough to 7 ½ inches across and ¹/₈ inch thick. Use your fingers and hands to round off the sides.
3. Next start filling the pie by adding 2 tablespoons of mashed potato mixed with corn and spread out evenly leaving an inch of space empty on the outer edge of the pie dough. Then add 2 tablespoons of stuffing, some mushrooms from the gravy, and a drizzle of gravy (about 1 or 2 tablespoons). Lastly, add turkey slices to the top and put 1 or 2 tablespoons of gravy on the turkey (Note: Don’t put too much gravy as it will make it difficult or impossible to seal the pies when the dough is folded over).
4. Now carefully fold over the pie dough and use a fork to press in the filling so you can keep the outer inch of the dough empty. Then use your fingers to pinch the outer edges of the dough together to seal the pie. Next, take a fork and press down on the outer edge to create the crimping pattern and to fully seal the edges of the pies. Take a knife and cut 3 slits on top of the pies to allow steam to ventilate when the pies are cooking. Then place the pie on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat the process for all of the pies.
5. When all of the pies are set up, you can either cover them with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for a later time, or you can cook them. To cook the pies, place them in a 375°F oven for 40 to 45 minute. After 20 minutes of cooking, take the pies out of the oven and brush them with an egg wash consisting of one egg white and a ¼ cup of water. Then place the pies back in the oven for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.
6. When finished cooking, take the pies out of the oven and let sit for 2 or 3 minutes before serving.