Croquetas de Jamon y Pollo

Croquetas de Jamon y Pollo (ham and chicken croquettes) are a delicious Spanish tapa dish found in most bars in Spain. And yes, every bar you visit will claim they have the best croquetas in town! Once you learn how to make croquetas, maybe yours will be the best in town! Loosely translated the word croqueta has the element  of crunch in it (from the French croquer), and that is exactly what they will do in your mouth when you take that first bite. (There are Cuban croquettes out there, that's a recipe for a future post)

History of croquetas

According to food historians, croquetas were first served in France and prepared by the  famous chef Antonin Careme (1784-1833) for a special banquet. His croquettes were made of potato, and did not contain the bechamel  center of the Spanish croqueta.  Somewhere along the line, the croqueta traveled to Spain, evolved and became what it is today.

Croquetas are versatile

Ingredients for croquette recipes aren't too involved. (But actually making them takes some effort). Croquetas are made with a variety of ingredients, including ham, chicken, mushrooms, cheese or fish.  These crunchy little appetizers are a great way to use up leftovers! You can use any leftover ingredients. By the way Manchego cheese works great.

What I find most intriguing about ham and cheese Croquettes is that creamy center of  bechamel sauce. Bechamel you say? Wait a minute! Isn't that French? Mais oui!! Stranger things have happened, right? One thing to note is that bechamel for croquetas will have a thicker consistency than a sauce. A thicker sauce ( i.e. more flour added) will help bind all the ingredients together.  Bechamel sauce is a basic white sauce made from a combination of flour, butter/oil, and milk, and is called one of the mother sauces in French cuisine as it is used in such a large variety of dishes. However, as mentioned, our bechamel sauce is used as a binder so it is much thicker. Cuban croquetas and Spanish croquetas both use bechamel sauce. Again, Cuban croquette recipe in the future!

Croquettes are a marvelous blend of textures: crunchy and creamy! What can be better than that?

Visual steps How to Make Ham and Chicken Croquettes

1. Gather all your ingredients and have them chopped, measured and ready to go. The French culinary term is “mis en place”, it is "everything in its place" and this is key to a successful dish.
2. In a large pan poach the chicken breast in white wine, parsley, peppercorns, thyme, onion, Kosher salt, and bay leaf. Add enough water to cover and bring to boil. You can butterfly the breast (cut lengthwise down the middle) so it cooks faster. Turn the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes in the broth. Remove the chicken breast and set aside to cool.
3. Simmer the broth another 20 minutes.
4. Strain ½ cup of the broth to use in the bechamel sauce.
5. Cut up the chicken into small chunks and place in a food processor along with the minced ham.
6. Pulse to combine until it is well combined and still has some small pieces. Do not blend too much. You want some texture in the meat mixture.
7. Melt the butter slowly on low heat and add the olive oil.
8. Whisk in the flour vigorously and alternate with the milk until well combined.
9. Continue whisking the sauce and add the reserved broth slowly.
10. Whisk to the sauce until it is thick to the ribbon stage. As you raise the whisk and drizzle back into the sauce it will form swirls or ribbons on the surface.
11. Whisk in the nutmeg after the bechamel is thick.
12. Place the ham and chicken mixture in a large bowl then pour in the sauce.
13. Fold the sauce into the meat mixture ash shown.  The mixture will be quite warm.  Test the salt level at this point and add to taste.  Some ham may be saltier than others and this is the time to give it a taste while it is still warm.
14. I like to spread the warm mixture on a large baking tray with sides for quick chilling. This will cool fast in the refrigerator and become thick and easier to scoop.
15. To construct the croquettes, scoop the chilled mixture with a cookie scoop to form a ball.
16. Roll the croquette in the beaten egg mixture until well coated.
17. Next roll the croquette in the breadcrumb mixture until coated. After shaping the croquettes refrigerate on a baking sheet for about 30 minutes.
18. Deep fry in very hot 390°F oil until golden brown. Place on a plate with paper towel to drain and serve hot.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I make the croquettes ahead of time? You can do the prep ahead of time, store them in your refrigerator in a sealed container for 1-2 days and leave the frying for last minute. Be sure to put parchment or wax paper between layers if you store them for frying later.
• Can I make the bechamel and meat mixture ahead? Yes, the mixture will also keep well overnight in a sealed container. It may develop a skin on top so give it a good stir when you are ready to coat and fry the croquettes.
• Can I freeze the finished croquettes? Yes you can fry them ahead of time and then freeze in a sealed container after they have completely cooled. Place some wax paper between layers. Store them for up to 2 months.  They can be reheated in the oven at 400°F for about 6-8 minutes until warm in the center. You can also reheat in air fryer at 350°F for about 5 minutes until warmed throughout. I love my Cosori Air Fryer for this!
• Why are they called croquette? The name originally is derived from the French word croquer, meaning “to crunch.” As these crunchy appetizers made their way through Europe and Cuba, the name croquette stayed!
• What are Cuban croquettes made of? The most popular Cuban style croquette is made of ham. These make great little additions to breakfast as well!
• Where are croquettes originally from? As noted above, the first croquettes came from France in the late 1800s. This is where the dish got its name, from the French word, “to crunch.” As the recipe traveled, each culture created their own variation. My recipe is for the Spanish Croquette. Cuban Croquettes are very popular as well. Some other regions created beef, salmon, vegetarian, chicken, cheese croquettes… the list goes on!
• Can you bake croquettes? I prefer frying these Spanish croquetas so they live up to their crunchy little names! However, baking is an option if you do not have a fryer or air fryer available. Baking at a high heat for 15 minutes would be best, we just need to ensure that the breading is cooked thoroughly.
   

Try more Spanish recipes

If you want to bring the flavors of Spain to your home I have several other great recipes to share with you.
Prueba de cerdo is a classic tapas dish of thinly sliced marinated pork with Spanish paprika that is grilled fast and is so easy to make.
Spanish chorizo in red wine sauce  is a great dish to pair with some Tempranillo or Rioja.
Shrimp with tomato and onions is a simple tapas dish that pairs well with a nice Spanish white Verdejo that is similar to Pino Grigio.
Empanadas are savory turnovers filled with meat or cheese. Most are fried but I like to cheat and bake mine using pre-made pie crust. I think this is a slightly healthier option than frying, and it's so easy.

Looking for more recipes?
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Croquetas de Jamon y Pollo - Ham and Chicken Croquettes Recipe Card

A classic and authentic Spanish tapas dish.  Ham and chicken croquettes are delicious! These tasty little morsels are packed with flavor and have a crunchy outside and creamy middle. They take a little time but they are oh so worth the effort. 

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Spanish

Keyword: bechamel sauce technique, ham and chicken croquettes, tapas

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 130kcal

Author: Analida Braeger

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breast boneless, skinless
• ½ cup ham smoked, minced
• 3-4 sprigs of parsley chopped
• 1 onion small, cut into slices
• 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 6-8 peppercorns
• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg
• 1 ¼ cup milk
• ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs beaten with 1 Tbsp water

Panko breadcrumbs for coating.

Oil for frying.

Instructions

Cook the Chicken:

• In a saucepan on medium-high heat poach chicken breast in wine, parsley, peppercorns, thyme, onion, salt and bay leaf. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. You can butterfly the chicken breast so it cooks faster. Turn heat to medium and simmer for an additional 20 minutes in the broth.
• Remove chicken from pan, set aside to cool.
• Simmer broth for an additional 20 minutes. Strain and set aside ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
• Chop chicken and ham as finely as possible. I recommend using a food processor for this. You want the meat mixture very fine but with a little texture. Transfer to a large bowl.

Make the Bechamel Sauce Filling:

• In a separate pan,  slowly melt the butter and add the olive oil. Using a whisk slowly stir in the flour alternating with the milk, and the reserved broth. 
• Stir in the nutmeg. Continue to whisk until the mixture is thick. The sauce for croquettes will be thicker than a traditional bechamel sauce. Drizzle from your whisk and it should form ribbons on the surface of the sauce when thick enough.
• Pour the sauce mixture into the bowl and stir to thoroughly combine. Taste for salt level at this point while warm and add salt to taste and stir in. NOTE: For quick cooling, you can spread the sauce on a baking tray with sides. The thin layer will help speed up the cooling process to about 30 minutes.
• Prepare two separate shallow dishes, one with egg mixture, and the other with breadcrumbs.

Make the Croquettes and Fry:

• Make sure your hands are well floured to prevent stickiness. You can also use a small cookie scoop to make the process go a lot quicker. The ideal size for the croquettes is about 1". 
• Dip croquettes in egg-water mixture and then roll in breadcrumbs. 
• After shaping balls place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. 
• Deep fry in very hot oil. The temperature of the oil should be around 390°F.
• Drain on paper towel. Serve hot.

Notes

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Can I make the croquettes ahead of time? You can do the prep ahead of time, store them in your refrigerator in a sealed container for 1-2 days and leave the frying for last minute. Be sure to put parchment or wax paper between layers if you store them for frying later.
• Can I make the bechamel and meat mixture ahead? Yes, the mixture will also keep well overnight in a sealed container. It may develop a skin on top so give it a good stir when you are ready to for the croquettes.
• Can I freeze the finished croquettes? Yes you can fry them ahead of time and then freeze in a sealed container after they have completely cooled. Place some wax paper between layers. Store them for up to 2 months.  They can be reheated in the oven at 400°F for about 6-8 minutes until warm in the center. You can also reheat in air fryer at 350°F for about 5 minutes until warmed throughout. I love my Cosori Air Fryer for this!

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 297mg | Potassium: 117mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Adapted from my all time favorite book on Spanish cooking: Penelope Casas'  "Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain".