Old Fashion Comfort Meal - Homemade Chicken Croquettes

I had a hankering for some old fashion food that I remember eating as a kid.  Chicken Croquettes were so good, the croquette itself was delicious alongside the puddle of mashed potatoes and gravy.  This was restaurant food usually, and you could also get the meal with gravy fries which were the best!  My mom never made these from scratch, but there was a frozen version that came with cups of gravy sold in grocery stores.  My mother did buy those and they were a great substitute for homemade.

I wasn't busy at home and decided I would try and make them myself.  If they didn't turn out right, I could just call them something else.  The flavors in them I tried to remember so I would get it right, and the technique for getting them to look like a croquette I mastered.  They were always a conical shape, although nowadays I see them as flat pancake style, THAT is not a croquette that I remember.  So here goes my version of  The Chicken Croquette. 

Recipe Below.

I used ground chicken, this worked perfect.

I cooked it up.  Then I cut up the celery and put in a small food chopper so the pieces were cut small or minced.

These ingredients I used for my chicken base.

The base, cooking up those tasty ingredients.  Kind of looks like mashed potatoes.

Fold in the cooked ground chicken and you can see it looks like the inside of the croquettes.

Mold into a conical shape. I lined mine up on a parchment covered baking sheet.

Give them an egg bath and dip in flour and then bread crumbs to get that crispy outside coat on them when you fry them.

Here they are coated in egg and flour. Then you have to dip in egg again and then the bread crumbs.

Into the deep fryer until golden brown all over.

Drain on paper towels.  Looking scrumptious!

OOOOH, now for the gravy. You have to have gravy, its for the mashed potatoes, or if you like, French fries.

Plate them up on a cloud of fluffy mashed potatoes or fries, top with that awesome gravy and dig in!

Chicken Croquettes

Ingredients for the croquette base

1 1/4 lbs of ground chicken meat (I used Perdue in the bag)

1 cup of whole milk

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

2 teaspoons parsley flakes, could also use fresh

1 stick of butter

1 stalk of celery, minced small

1 cup flour

oil for frying

Coating for the croquettes

1 cup of milk

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, can use plain or seasoned

Chicken Gravy

1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

2 1/4 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons parsley flakes or fresh parsley

Directions

For the croquette base:

In a medium frying pan on medium-high heat brown the ground chicken.  Chop and separate as you cook it, until there is no pink color remaining and it looks like it's minced very small.  Set aside. 

In a large pot, heat the milk and stock over medium heat.  Add the salt, pepper, and parsley. In another pot, melt butter and add the celery.  Cook until celery soft.  Add the flour and cook for three minutes. Pour the milk/stock mixture over the flour mixture and whisk until it thickens and becomes smooth. Fold in the ground chicken.

Breading the croquettes:

Mold the mixture with your hands into conical shapes and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Beat the milk and eggs together in a bowl.  In another bowl place the flour and in a third bowl place the bread crumbs.  Dip the croquettes one by one into the egg mixture, then the flour mixture.  Let them sit for a few minutes then dip in the egg mixture again then the breadcrumbs. Line back up on the baking sheet.

Frying the croquettes:

You can use a deep fryer or a large pot.  Heat oil to 350 degrees.  Place two croquettes at a time in the basket and lower into the oil.  Cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown on all sides and top and bottom.  Remove from basket and drain on paper towels.

Croquette Gravy:

Melt butter in a medium size saucepan over medium heat, stir in the flour, salt and pepper.  Whisk in the stock until the gravy is smooth.  Add the parsley.  Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Serve croquettes on a bed of mashed potatoes and top with gravy.

Happiness Is A Basket of Strawberries.......

Strawberries are one fruit we have in our house all year long, blueberries as well.  They are full of antioxidants and fiber, fight bad cholesterol, are anti-inflammatory and last but not least my favorite, they're anti-aging! What a great little fruit they are.  Strawberries have so many good things about them, besides the fact that they are just plain delicious and sweet. 

I try to find many ways to use my strawberries, outside of putting them in cereal or just eating them out of the box. I do put them in many different kinds of salads that I make, because we eat a lot of salad in this house too. Plain salad with vegetables is boring to me, so I like to push things up to a new level with salads, especially when that is the main course.  I made this fruit-full salad last night and it was spectacular! It was so filling I didn't need a dessert and still wasn't hungry when I woke up this morning. Check it out and make it, you'll love it.

Recipe Below.

I started with 2 boxes of greens, one was a mix and one was spinach. Don't mind the organic labels, unless you are an organic food eater.  This is what I buy, I have an organic vegan in the house so you all know how that goes.  I also used romaine in my salad for crunchiness.

Toss the lettuces together in a large bowl. Some of my ingredients.

 I added in a few more ingredients and chicken.

 Building the salad with all this healthy deliciousness.

 And what is a salad without cheese, any kind of cheese, and crispy wonton strips.

 And, what can I say about glazed pecans, they're so good! You could also use sliced 

almonds or walnuts if you like.

 Dice up and add the chicken breasts after they cool so your salad doesn't wilt.

 Now the best part, the Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette, it's awesome!

All ready to go.

 Let's Eat!

Hearty Chicken and Strawberry Salad

Ingredients for Salad

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

6 cups of mixed greens, washed

1 large head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup matchstick carrots

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup bacon bits

1 cup crispy wonton strips

1/2 cup glazed pecans

Ingredients for Dressing

1 cup Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/4 tsp. Cracked Black Pepper

1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper, more if you like heat

Shake vigorously in a jar until all is combined.

Instructions

In a frying pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and heat until hot.  Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.  Cook the chicken breasts for 8 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.  Cover with a lid, turn off the heat, let cool.

In a large bowl, toss all the greens together.  Add the strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, carrots, onion, feta, bacon, wonton strips and glazed pecans. Add chicken around the sides of the bowl.

Toss with desired amount of dressing. 

Makes 4-6 servings

Company Is Coming Chicken!

Hoping everyone is well during this corona virus pandemic.  Haven't been posting for a very long time as I babysit my grandson everyday.  But now with the virus and being quarantined, all that has changed. I miss him terribly as well as the rest of my family.  Being stuck inside the house is not something I enjoy.  My days are now filled with cleaning, cooking, eating and watching TV.  I have gone on an occasional walk, but the weather is still cold and I don't like being cold. I am cooking and baking a lot more, which is not good for the waistline (I gained 6 lbs already!) as I have a dress to fit into for my oldest daughter's wedding. I keep saying to myself "YOU NEED TO STOP FEEDING YOUR FACE!" Every day I wake up with a plan and by mid-morning it's all out the window!

But, good food is something I do enjoy, so I plan ahead what I am gong to make for dinner and try to have something healthy to snack on as well.  The fridge and freezers are stocked, so everything I need to prepare a delicious meal is always at hand. If I don't have something, I can always improvise.

I made this chicken dish last week and it was fabulous.  Creamy sauce with sun dried tomatoes, cheese, cream, fresh basil and a little heat. Try it, you will love it, and it's easy to make all in one pan.

Recipe below.

 I like to start cooking with all my ingredients in front of me, it makes pulling a meal together faster.

 I used a cast iron frying pan, love using them.  Chicken breasts cooking up with a little salt and pepper.

 After chicken is semi-done remove and start making the sauce.

This is so easy and I love the fact that it's all done with one pan, an easy cleanup.

 Add the cream and look at all that flavor!

 Tomatoes in.........

And the cheese!  Everything is better with cheese.

 Bake the chicken and spoon sauce over the top.

And this is the end result, a beautiful and tasty dish,  I served mine with garlic green beans and
 Cacio e Pepe farfalle. Enjoy!
 Please stay safe and healthy my friends.

Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce 

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 T. olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp. each salt and pepper

4 gloves minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, 1/2 tsp. if using dried

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, more if you like heat

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped and drained

3/4 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese, reserve 1/4 cup for topping

Fresh Basil, sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large cast iron skillet or other oven safe skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.  Add to the pan and cook on both sides until golden brown about 6-7 minutes on each side.  Remove the chicken and put on a plate.  Do not clean the pan.  Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, saute until fragrant, do not burn it.  Add the thyme, red pepper flakes, broth and heavy cream.  Cook, stirring for about 5-7 minutes.  Add in the sun dried tomatoes and 1/2 cup Pecorino-Romano cheese. Add the chicken breasts back into the pan.  Bake until the chicken is cooked through, juices run clear and the sauce is bubbly and thickened.  Remove from oven.  To serve, spoon sauce over the chicken breasts and top with reserved 1/4 cup of cheese and fresh basil.