Budget Meals: Chicken Croquettes

 

I’ve decided to do a series of budget meals here on Daily Dish Magazine.  With the economy at it is, I need to cut back spending, and I am sure some of you out there do too.  This series was inspired by the canned chicken in these chicken croquettes.  I was at the grocery stor,e and there it was – buy one, get one free – big ten ounce cans.  Now, I have to admit that I really am a food snob, so canned chicken is not something that usually comes home from the grocery store, but it was such a good deal, that I just had to figure out something to do with it!  I have to say, these chicken croquettes were awesome.  And, they only cost about ten dollars for the whole recipe, which serves 4.  They didn’t cost me that much because I had leftover bread crumbs, cheese, and eggs from another recipe.  Using up leftover ingredients in other recipes is a great budget friendly tip.  Not only does it not cost you anything extra, but it keeps you from wasting ingredients that might go bad.

If you have time to make the sauce earlier in the day, it tastes better after a few hours, but it is still really good if you eat it right away.  I say it serves four, but that is assuming two croquettes per person, so if you have a big eater, it might not serve four.  I served it with the Cuban style yucca root that you see in the photo.  If you are interested in that recipe, you can find it over at my blog From Calculus to Cupcakes. Hope you enjoy and join me next Sunday for another budget friendly recipe.

Chicken Croquettes

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Ingredients

• 2 10 oz. cans chicken, drained
• 1 eggs
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsps. cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. jalapeno, chopped - Remove seeds if you don't want it to be hot.
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• salt to taste
• oil for frying - I used canola oil.

Instructions

1. Combine sour cream, 2 Tbsps. cilantro, jalapeno, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to taste. Refrigerate until serving.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients and 1/4 cup cilantro, stirring until well combined.
3. Form mixture into 8 patties.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet, using just enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet.
5. Fry croquettes on both sides until cooked through and golden brown (about 5 minutes on each side). You may need to do this in batches if your skillet is not large enough.
6. Drain croquettes on a paper towel lined plate.
7. Serve with sour cream sauce.