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PA Dutch Chicken Croquettes
What are Pennsylvania Dutch chicken croquettes? Croquettes are usually thought of as being a small rounded mass of minced meat that has been dipped in egg and bread crumbs, and then deep-fat fried. That is exactly what a PA Dutch chicken croquette is.
These Amish chicken croquettes are made with cooked and chopped chicken that is mixed with a thick creamy sauce, shaped into balls, then dipped in eggs and coated in bread crumbs.
To finish them off with the best and the most unhealthy part of all, they are deep-fried. But we all know that anything that's been deep-fried tastes amazing. Right?
Comfort Food = Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Croquettes
Some people would classify chicken croquettes as comfort food. So the question is, what puts certain foods into the classification of comfort food?
I believe that for many people comfort food is associated with their childhood or home-cooking. Often it is food with a higher carb content, and eating it provides a feeling of well-being.
For some of us, certain tastes and smells bring back memories of home. They provide a feeling of nostalgia and give us a longing for the past, typically a happy or carefree time in our lives.
Since starting my blog, I have been cooking and baking a lot more Amish and PA Dutch food.
It's food that I grew up with. So when I'm cooking, some of the smells and tastes make me miss my home, especially my mom.
My Amish mom did a lot of cooking and baking, and she was a good cook. I have fond memories of working with her. She was the most selfless person I've ever known.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Croquettes
To make Pennsylvania Dutch chicken croquettes, you will need to start with the cream base. Unless, of course, you don't have any cooked chicken, then you will need to cook some chicken first.
But this Amish chicken recipe is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken. Or you can also make these with leftover turkey.
I chop my cooked chicken in my trusty little Ninja chopper (affiliate link). Just pulse it a few times until it's nicely chopped.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan or skillet. Sprinkle and stir the flour into the melted butter.
Slowly pour in the half and half, whisking to combine. Cook, stirring constantly until a smooth paste is formed. Remove from the heat and add the seasonings.
My Recommendations for Making Ground Chicken Croquettes
I recommend letting the sauce cool before adding the chopped chicken. Once it's cool, mix the chicken and sauce and form the mixture into balls. I like to use a big cookie scoop (affiliate link).
Refrigerate the balls for several hours or overnight before dipping them into the egg and crumbs.
You don't have to do this. You can mix the warm sauce with the chicken, form it into balls, and immediately dip and fry them. It will just be a little messier job to get the balls dipped.
And you can make the balls as big or little as you prefer. This Dutch croquette recipe can easily make nine to twelve balls.
Stick with nine balls if you like a lot of creamy filling on the inside. Make at least twelve balls if you prefer having more crispy fried texture.
Deep Fat Fry, Pan Fry, or Air Fry?
Air Fry
If you are watching your cholesterol and don't want to consume as much fried food, there are alternatives to deep-frying your Pennsylvania Dutch chicken croquettes.
I have not invested in an air fryer yet. Maybe someday. I am told, however, that they are amazing. So, if you have one, go ahead and air-fry your croquettes. It would definitely be a healthier option.
*Edited to add Air-Fryer Tip: I had someone tell me that they tried this recipe and cooked the croquettes in the middle of the air-fryer for 14 minutes at 350 degrees. She said they were perfect! 🙂 I had a second individual tell me that she air-fried them for 20 minutes at 370 degrees. So I guess it depends on how crispy you like them.
Pan Fry
You can also just pour a thin layer of oil into a skillet and pan-fry them. Keep turning the balls until all sides are browned.
Deep Fry
The most common way of cooking chicken croquettes is the deep-frying method.
You can use an electric deep fryer if you want. I have one of those, but honestly, I've never really been impressed with it. It takes a lot of oil to fill it, and it seems to have difficulty keeping the oil hot enough (maybe I need a better one).
I often end up using a medium-large saucepan on my stovetop. Fill it about three-fourths full of cooking oil (I like to use peanut oil, but canola oil works great too).
Heat the oil to 325 - 350 degrees F. (use a cooking thermometer - affiliate link). As you are frying, you may have to adjust the burner to keep the temperature maintained between 325 and 350 degrees.
Fry a few balls at a time until they are a nice golden brown. Remove the croquettes with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels.
*Caution: The oil is very hot, so please be careful!
Sauce for Chicken Croquettes
Some people like to cook a cream sauce to serve with their croquettes, but we always ate ours with chicken gravy.
After all, Pennsylvania Dutch chicken croquettes are great served with mashed potatoes. So you can top both your mashed potatoes and croquettes with the gravy. Add some vegetables, and you've got an amazing home-cooked Amish meal.
More Amish Dinner Recipes
Amish Meatloaf with Oats Recipe
Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling
Rice Krispie Chicken Recipe
Amish Wedding Chicken and Stuffing (Roasht) Recipe
Easy Baked Corn
Sweet Potato Casserole
I hope you enjoy PA Dutch chicken croquettes. They are a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey.
If you try this recipe, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Croquettes Recipe
Chicken croquettes are made with cooked chopped chicken that is mixed with a thick creamy sauce and rolled into balls. Dip the balls into egg and crumbs and deep fat fry. They are very delicious served with mashed potatoes and gravy!
5 from 8 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
cool 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Amish
Servings 9 servings
Calories 348 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 c. cooked chicken, ground (leftover chicken or turkey works great)
- 2 Tbs. butter
- 2 Tbs. flour
- 1 c. half and half (you can substitute with milk)
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. minced onion flakes
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 - 1 c. panko or regular bread crumbs
- oil, for frying
Instructions
To make the sauce, melt the butter and stir in the flour. Slowly pour in the half and half, whisking as you are pouring.
2 Tbs. butter, 2 Tbs. flour, 1 c. half and half
Cook, and stir constantly until a smooth paste is formed. Remove from the heat and add the seasonings. Cool.
3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. minced onion flakes
Mix the chopped chicken with the creamy sauce. Form into 9 - 12 balls and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
2 c. cooked chicken, ground
Dip the balls into beaten eggs, then roll into bread crumbs.
2 eggs, 1/2 - 1 c. panko or regular bread crumbs
Deep fat fry several croquettes at a time, with your oil between 325° and 350°, for several minutes until they are golden brown.
Remove the croquettes with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Croquettes are delicious served with chicken gravy and mashed potatoes.
Notes
I recommend chopping cooked chicken, not using raw ground chicken.
If you are in a hurry to make the croquettes, you do not have to chill the sauce or the croquettes. You can mix, dip, and fry them right away. They are just messier to work with when they are warm.
If you prefer, you can pan-fry your croquettes instead of deep-frying them. Or air-fry them (instructions are included in the post above.)
Be very careful when frying, the oil is HOT!
* Nutrition facts are approx. estimates.
Nutrition
Serving: 1large croquetteCalories: 348kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 21gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 390mgPotassium: 203mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 169IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Creamy chicken croquettes, Pennsylvania Dutch chicken croquettes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Visit my YouTube channel at My Amish Heritage
More Main Dish Recipes
- Easy Amish Chicken Salad Recipe
- Amish Macaroni Casserole (With Chicken, Ham, or Beef)
- PA Dutch Chicken and Waffles (Amish Recipe)
- Cheesy Chicken Chowder (Amish Soup Recipe)
Reader Interactions
Comments
Isabel
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I had two packages of chicken breast in the freezer to use up and thought to make croquettes. Your recipe sounded good and so I set out to make them. This was a 3-day process for me. I cooked the chicken on Monday evening, used the food processor to mince it and then realized I was out of panko. I went to the store on Tuesday evening and purchased Stacy's Pita Chips (Parmesan Garlic & Herb) and broke them down into crumbs using the food processor. I was tired by then and decided to finish today. I made the sauce right after work and let it cool. I used a cookie scoop to form the balls and put some in the freezer for 20 minutes because I was so hungry and ready to try them. I fried them in olive oil. They are SO delicious. I tripled the recipe, so I have my work cut out for me tonight. I will freeze them to enjoy in the future. The only other change I made was to use 1 cup half & half and 2 cups Lactaid milk (2%) and added smoked paprika in the same proportion as the black pepper. I just love smoked paprika, so I decided to throw it in! Thank you again!!!Reply
Anna
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Using the pita chips sounds like a yummy idea!
Reply
Maija
My husband loves chicken croquette but has a hard time finding croquettes he really enjoys and I’ve tried many recipes that have fallen short. I used this recipe and he overate chicken croquettes. This recipe is a keeper. The only things I did differently are adding a little white pepper and I used peanut oil for frying.Reply
Anna
Thank you for taking the time to leave a nice comment. I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it!
Reply
See AlsoStir Fry Zucchini Noodles Recipe
Connie S
I had some leftover bbq chicken and hunted for a croquettes recipe. Your recipe looked simple and I followed the instructions exactly. For cooking I sprayed avocado oil on parchment paper covering a cookie sheet and placed the croquettes on top. I sprayed a bit more oil and put them in a 375° F oven for 20 minutes then flipped them and cooked for another twenty minutes. Turned out delicious. Thank you!Reply
Anna
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Never tried baking them. Now I know that works too. Thank you!
Reply
Cindy
I was glad to come across this recipe. I had tried a different croquette recipe a while ago, but was not happy with it - I seem to remember it being more complex. I followed this recipe exactly as to the ingredients. I had enough chicken to make the recipe 1.5 times (3 cups of minced cooked chicken). The croquettes were delicious! I served them with a mushroom gravy. I refrigerated the mixture for a couple of hours prior to forming the croquettes, and they formed beautifully. Instead of forming smaller balls, I made larger croquettes in the shape of cones (the shape I remember from frozen ones my mom would buy, 50 years ago). Instead of frying them, I placed them on a parchment-paper lined tray, drizzled them with melted butter, and baked them at 350 for 30 minutes, though they were probably done at 20 minutes. This recipe is simple and delicious.Reply
Anna
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I'm glad it worked for you.
Reply
deb
i thought maybe buying ground chicken would make it a bit easier and frying it. its ok using ground chicken however i would prefer using leftover chicken.Reply
Anna
Yes, ground chicken has a different texture from cooked and then ground chicken.
Reply
Tanja Heimbach
Can I use frozen ground chicken that I defrosted that's raw not cooked when making this recipe? Don't know if I should cook the ground chicken first then add to sauce or just put raw chicken in batter then deep fry?
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Anna
I have never tried it with ground chicken. Not sure if it would get cooked all the way through well enough if you put it in raw?
Reply
Carol
Delicious and easy thank youReply
Anna
Glad you're enjoying them!
Reply
Jennette
These look delicious!!!
Any pointers on how to air fry these in place of pan frying? I would love to try that process instead. Had anyone else tried?Reply
Anna
I actually have instructions to air-fry within the post (given to me by a reader). It's in the section "Deep-fry, pan-fry, or air-fry".
Reply
Lupe
I did air fry at 350 for 20 minutes turning halfway. Turn out great!
Reply
Jeanine Hamilton
what are the ingredients for the sauce??
Reply
Anna
The recipe for the sauce that gets mixed with the chicken is on my page. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe card.
Reply
Sara
Made these with leftover turkey and they came out so good.Reply
Anna
Yay!
Reply
Danielle Martin
Hello, these sound amazing. How would I freeze them?
Reply
Anna
I have never tried it, but it should be fine to freeze them in airtight container.
Reply
Kim
Y mom used to make these.Looks like I will make it a regular. habit of making them also works well with rotisserie chicken,ground up.
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Sherrie C.
Instructions unclear where or when you add 3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. minced onion flakesReply
Anna
I'm sorry, I guess I missed that step in the recipe card. Add the seasonings to the thickened sauce.
Reply
Ellen in Oregon
Back in the 60's when I was a kid my mom would make croquettes from chicken, ham and turkey. They were a treat when she made them and I have no tasted them in 40 years, but your post inspired me to make them using your recipes. They were easy & delicious. I did let them chill overnight & that made them very easy to shape and bread. I did make a white cream sauce with mushrooms because that is what my mom served with them. The meal was a big success and everyone love them. Thank you for posting this retro-recipe. I will be making it often in the future.
Reply
Anna
You are welcome! Glad you enjoyed them.
Reply
Sharonmorgan
I made these just as the recipe said , my family loved them
It will definitely be a regular meal in our house
I deep fried mine to golden brown ; put chicken gravy over them
Served with pan fried potatoes and corn on the cobReply
Anna
So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you!
Reply
Anna
🙂
Reply
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