Ok, since whenever I try to
node about anything besides
food I end up making a total
fool out of myself (
node what you know). I've decided to add to my collection of original recipe nodes. These aren't true "croquettes" as they are not breaded, although you could easily roll them in breadcrumbs if you wanted too, however there is a sufficient amount of breadcrumbs in the
mix already and I find them better without the additional
filler. The end result is a crispy out side with a
creamy/
meaty center.
Ingredients
2 Chicken breasts (or an equal amount of ground chicken meat)
2 or 3 strips of bacon
A handful of diced onion
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 teaspoons of sweet mustard
a dash of tarragon
a dash of basil
an egg
salt and pepper
bread crumbs (I use japanese breadcrumbs (Panko) as they are lighter in texture and flavor)
1 large (or 2 small) clove of garlic
oil for deep frying
Finely mince your chicken and bacon and place into a bowl with the egg, finely diced onion, crushed garlic, tarragon, basil, salt, pepper, mayonaise and mustard. This should form a rather "wet" mixture. next slowly add the breadcrumbs, stirring for a few minutes between each addition (to allow time for the crumbs to absorb some of the moisture). Soon the mixture will "come together" (be of sufficient thickness to hold it's shape). Drop
golf-
ball sized
globs into the oil (heated to 350-375 degrees) until the outside is good and brown (not "
golden brown" or "
light brown" but
brown brown). Remove from the oil and drain. Serve with sweet mustard.
If you couldn't guess I made this recipe using the "what the heck do I have in the fridge" method. The mayo idea came from a special I saw where a chef added mayo to his crab cakes to ensure they would stay moist. It worked like a charm, I even slightly overcooked my batch (got them to the "dark brown" level) and they still were not dry (although the bacon's fat also aids in this, plus adds a nice smokey flavor to the croquettes), you could also omit the onion entirely (but not the garlic! Never the garlic!). I'd also suggest trying out different flavorings other than the basil-tarragon-mustard combo I have here. Some ideas I have are to try curry powder or paste or perhaps even BBQ sauce, instead of a chicken/bacon combo use ground pork, omit the bacon and mayo entirely and add cream cheese... Despite the fancy name this doesn't have to be "stuffy" food. Mix it up, enjoy it, try something different. It's the limitless variations on this recipe that make it exciting to me.
This is wonderful when served with a tangy mustard sauce on top of a bed of creamy risotto (with brie and parmesan) and steamed asparagus.
"Being healthy pays off when you're old while eating delicious food pays off right now!"