Chicken Croquettes With Velouté Sauce

Chicken croquettes with velouté sauce rank near the top of my list of delectable dishes. Unfortunately, when made from scratch, they are quite a lot of work. Because of this, I make them only once a year. When done properly, the filling should be creamy and flavorful, enrobed in a crispy crumb crust, and clean fried just until golden brown.

Like so many fine dishes, a full-flavored stock is essential to achieve the best results. I begin with a large whole chicken plus the neck and giblets, which I poach for four hours with aromatic vegetables. One of the things I like about stewing a chicken is that there is no waste—every last bit of meat is easily extractable from the bird. Once that is done, I strain the stock, degrease it, and boil it down to concentrate the flavor. This stock then serves as the base for both the creamed chicken filling and the accompanying velouté sauce. I always complete this much of the recipe the night before I serve the croquettes, otherwise it is too much to do in one day.

Much of the time devoted to this recipe is spent on chilling various components and on coating the croquettes. An elaborate double coating is necessary to ensure that the soft creamy chicken does not seep out during the frying. Therefore, I roll the croquettes in flour, dip them in beaten eggs, and coat with fine-dry breadcrumbs. Once I finish with all the croquettes, I dip them once again in the eggs and coat with breadcrumbs a second time.

This recipe makes 18 croquettes (you’ll need 2 to 3 per serving). The nice part is that any leftovers can be frozen or reheated in a 400° oven for 10 to 15 minutes and are nearly as good as the fresh-made ones.

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