Spanish Chorizo Chicken Croquettes (Croquettas)

Spanish chorizo chicken croquettes (or croquettas) are one of my favourite things to eat. I like to serve mine with a garlic aioli and some chilli sauce. Packed with flavour they are the a perfect plate of tapas!

This week's Spanish croquettes recipe is simplicity itself, inspired by past holidays spent in Barcelona. Drinking wine (or sherry in my case) and eating tapas, where I always order croquettes

I do love small plates of tapas, perfect bite-sized offerings packed full of flavour. In Barcelona it was Spanish ham croquettes (or jamon croquetas), I swapped the ham for some thinly sliced chorizo and pieces of cooked chicken.

Recipe ingredients

Croquette Filling Ingredients

• Butter: I use unsalted butter to sauté the onion, chorizo and chicken.
• Onion: I used ½ small onion but you could also use a banana shallot or a red onion if you prefer.
• Meat: I used both finely chopped cooking chorizo and some cooked chicken in this recipe. It's great for using up leftovers from the weekend's roast chicken dinner.
• Flour: I use plain flour (all purpose) to thicken the roux.
• Seasoning: I season the sauce with some grated nutmeg, sea salt and black pepper to taste.
• Stock: I used chicken stock to make this sauce rather than milk. The stock adds lots of savoury flavour to the sauce.
• Fresh herbs: I stirred through some chopped parsley to add a freshness to the sauce.

Breadcrumb Coating Ingredients

• Flour: I used plain flour (all purpose), which had been seasoned with salt and pepper, to coat the croquette filling first.
• Egg: I used 1 large beaten egg to dip the floured croquette, the egg helps the breadcrumbs stick.
• Breadcrumbs: I like to use panko breadcrumbs as I find they have the best texture and result in the best crunch when cooked.
• Oil: Use an oil that is suitable for deep frying and has a high burn temperature, my choices are usually sunflower or vegetable oil.

How to make Spanish Croquettes

• To make the filling, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook gently for 10 minutes to soften the onion.
• Add the chorizo to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes, then add the cooked chicken to the pan and mix well.
• Reduce the heat to low, add the flour and the nutmeg to the pan and cook the flour gently for 5 minutes. Stir constantly as you want the flour to cook but not burn.

• Gradually add the chicken stock to the pan and stir continuously to avoid the sauce becoming lumpy. The sauce will start to thicken, you want a smooth fairly thick sauce.

• Once you've achieved this take the pan off the heat, stir through the parsley and season to taste.
• Pour the sauce into a flat dish and leave to cool. Once cool place the mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour to become cold, thick and solid. [For best results leave overnight in the fridge].

How to crumb croquettes

• Cut the filling into 15 even-sized croquettes and place on a lined baking sheet. If you are not ready to cook straight away, place the tray into the fridge until you are ready to coat and cook the croquettes.
• Place the seasoned flour, beaten eggs, and panko breadcrumbs into 3 separate bowls.
• Dip each croquette first into the seasoned flour, then into the beaten egg and finally into the panko breadcrumbs.

• Place on a plate and once all croquettes have been bread-crumbed.
• Pour the sunflower oil in a medium sized saucepan and heat to 180C/355F. Place each croquette onto a slotted spoon and lower gently into the hot oil.
• Do not over-crowd the pan, cook the croquettes in batches, turning once to ensure an even cooking on both sides. Watch the temperature of the oil and lower if you think the croquettes are cooking too quickly.

• When golden brown remove from the pan onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Serve immediately when still warm.

Recipe variations

• Ham - In Spain croquettes are traditionally made with ham (jamon), rather than the chorizo I've used here.
• Chicken - For the best flavour I like to use leftover roast chicken. However, if you don't have leftover chicken you can use fresh chicken too. Dice the chicken small and add it to the pan along with the chorizo.
• Vegetarian - Make a vegetarian croquette by swapping the chorizo and chicken with finely diced veggies like red bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots. Also remember to use vegetable rather than chicken stock.
• Onion - I've used red onion as it has a mild flavour that doesn't overpower. You could also use shallots.
• Spices - Swap the nutmeg for other spices, try some smoked paprika, chili power or red pepper flakes.
• Fresh herbs - I've used freshly chopped parsley, but you could also use coriander (cilantro), basil or thyme leaves.

Serving suggestions

The croquettes make a great starter or appetizer, serve 2-3 croquettes per person with your favourite dipping sauce. I also like to serve these as part of a tapas style meal, or mezze sharing plates.

As this recipe is easily doubled, they also make a tasty canape for parties or larger gatherings with family and friends.

I've also served these croquettes as a tasty savoury side dish, alongside a dinner main like my Roast Chicken with Chorizo & Butter Bean Stew.

Useful hints and tips

1. Thick sauce: The bechamel sauce for the filling does require to be considerably thicker than a normal pouring bechamel sauce! The thick sauce is ideal for shaping.
2. Room temperature: Ensure the filling is not too cold, and at room temperature before crumbing and cooking. Otherwise, you risk the breadcrumbs burning before the inside filling has heated up properly.
3. Breadcrumbing: For ease when breadcrumbing the croquettes I use one dry hand (for the flour and breadcrumbs) and one wet hand (for the beaten egg). This stops the coatings from sticking to your hands, and you having to wash your hands every 2 minutes.
4. Do not overcrowd the pan: When deep frying the croquettes cook them in batches of 2 or 3. If you add too many you risk them sticking together and also reducing the temperature of the oil, which stops the breadcrumbs from becoming golden and crunchy.
5. Drain excess oil: When deep frying I always place the croquettes (or indeed any fried food) onto a dish lined with paper towel. The paper towel absorbs the excess oil, leaving the croquettes crispy and crunchy.
6. Dairy free: The bechamel filling is made with chicken stock, rather than milk so these croquettes are suitable for dairy free diners.
7. Allergy advice: dairy free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

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Additional Recipe Suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of my favourite party appetisers:

• Potato & Cheese Croquettes
• Spiced Pork Bonbons
• Cocktail Sausages - 3 ways
• Baked Camembert with toppings
• Spiced Almonds
• Salt & Vinegar Nuts