Croquettes with chicken

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 300 g chicken, cooked, very finely chopped
• 2 onions, very finely chopped
• 125 g butter
• 150 g flour
• 400 ml milk
• 250 ml chicken broth, strong
• some nutmeg, freshly grated
• Salt and pepper from the mill
• 2 eggs
• n. B. Flour
• e.g. breadcrumbs
• e.g. oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Rest time approx. 4 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 5 hours 35 minutes

Croquetas de pollo. Typical Spanish tapas, homemade, makes about 30 pieces

Heat the butter in a pan, add the onion, and fry for about 8 minutes over medium heat. Now add the chicken and fry for another 8 minutes. Neither should brown. While stirring constantly, add the flour. When everything is well blended, slowly add the milk and chicken stock while continuing to stir. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg (a lot is fine), and simmer for another 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, let it cool for 5 minutes, then cover with cling film (directly on top of the mixture, not just over the bowl). Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight if preferred. Scoop out small portions with a spoon, shape them into small logs, and coat them first in flour, then in the beaten and salted eggs, and finally in breadcrumbs. They can be reshaped during this time. Fry in a pan with plenty of oil (about 1 cm deep) or in a deep fryer, gently heating until golden brown. Some Spanish housewives, if the broth isn’t that strong, like to add a good teaspoon of instant chicken broth or stock cube while frying the onions and meat. If you’re not confident about chopping the onions and meat very finely, or if you’re making larger batches, you can also grate the onions with a coarse grater and chop the meat (in batches) in a blender. But please don’t make a mush; there should still be small pieces.