Chicken Croquetas

Makes 32-36 balls

150 g, 1 1/2 cups Spanish onion, 1/4" diced
114 g butter, 8 tbsp
375 g, flour, (about 2 1/2 cups)
5 g, 5 tsp kosher salt
1000 g, ~1 L, 4 cups milk
300 g chicken
Flour, as needed (1 1/2 cups)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil, as needed

150 g, 1 1/2 cups Spanish onion, 1/4" diced
114 g butter, 8 tbsp
Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and sweat until translucent.

375 g, flour, about 2 1/2 cups)
5 g, 5 tsp kosher salt
Slowly add flour, stirring to incorporate fully. Cook over medium heat until the flour taste cooks off. Stick a spoon in there and taste it if you’re not sure what that means.

1000 g, ~1 L, 4 cups milk
Add milk. Bring to simmer. Stir to fully dissolve the flour into the milk.

300 g chicken
Add chicken. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture is shapable by hand. Don’t reach in there and grab it! You’re not an idiot. Give it a few minutes. Stir enough so that it doesn’t burn. It’ll get a little tough. That’s okay. Once it’s pretty stiff, reserve to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until cool.

Flour, as needed (1 1/2 cups)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil, as needed
Place the flour, eggs, and Panko in three separate bowls. Heat 2 inches of olive oil to 375˚F in a heavy bottomed, deep sided pan. Grab small handfuls of the cooled batter and shape into small balls [hehe]. Dredge the little guys in flour, then the egg mixture, then Panko, and then directly into oil. Work in batches of 4-5 balls so the temperature of the oil doesn’t drop. Adjust the heat to keep the temperature as close to 375˚F as possible. Cook until brown. Repeat with remaining balls.

Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.