Mini Chicken Bacon Croquettes
Mini Chicken Bacon Croquettes are crispy, creamy little bites filled with chicken, bacon, cheese, and a flavorful white sauce. They are shaped into cones, coated with crispy panko breadcrumbs, and fried until golden brown. Serve them with ranch, honey mustard, or my Ro*tel Ranchero Dipping Sauce for a delicious game day or tailgate appetizer.
I am always looking for new little bites to serve when our family gathers to watch football. These Mini Chicken Bacon Croquettes were one of those recipes that started with an idea and quickly became a family favorite.
The outside is crispy and golden, while the inside is creamy and full of chicken and bacon flavor. A little buffalo wing sauce adds another layer of flavor without making them overly spicy.
I especially love that these can be made ahead and frozen, making them a great appetizer to have ready for game day, tailgating, parties, or any family gathering.
HOW TO MAKE MINI CHICKEN BACON CROQUETTES:
Ingredients
For the chicken filling:
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Onion
- Milk
- Chicken broth
- Cooked chicken, finely chopped
- Fresh parsley
- Cooked bacon, crumbled
- Buffalo wing sauce
For coating:
- Eggs
- Milk
- All-purpose flour
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Oil, for frying
I use rotisserie chicken for this recipe because it makes preparation so convenient. Leftover cooked chicken can also be used.
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper, and onion. Gradually add the milk and chicken broth, whisking until the mixture is smooth and thickened. Remove the pan from the heat. - Stir in the chopped chicken, parsley, crumbled bacon, and buffalo wing sauce until everything is well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until thoroughly chilled and firm. Don’t skip the chilling step. The filling needs to be firm enough to shape into croquettes.
Set up the breading station. Prepare three shallow dishes.
Place the flour in one dish.
Whisk together the eggs and milk in another.
Place the panko breadcrumbs in the third dish.
Shape the croquettes
Using a small scoop, portion the chilled chicken mixture into equal-size balls.
Dip each ball into the egg mixture, then the flour, back into the egg mixture, and finally into the panko breadcrumbs.
After coating, gently shape each one into a small cone.
Continue until all of the chicken mixture has been shaped and coated.
Fry the croquettes
Heat the oil to 350°F.
Carefully fry about 4–5 croquettes at a time, depending on the size of your pan. Fry until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside.
Do not overcrowd the pan, as this can cause the oil temperature to drop.
Remove the croquettes from the oil and place them on a paper towel-lined pan to drain.
Continue frying until all of the croquettes are cooked.
Step-By-Step Photos
In a large dutch oven, melt the butter. Whisk in flour, salt,
pepper, and onion. Add milk and chicken broth.
Remove from the heat. Stir in chicken, parsley, bacon, and buffalo wing sauce. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill for at least 3 hours.
Next, set up a dredging station with combination of milk and egg, flour, and panko bread crumbs.
Using a small scoop, shape mixture into equal size balls.
Dip each ball into egg mixture-flour-egg mixture and then
bread crumbs. Form into a cone shape.
Place cones onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Heat oil to 350 degrees F. Fry about 4 or 5 at a time, until
they are crispy.
Remove from oil onto paper towel lined pan.
Helpful Tips
Use finely chopped chicken. Smaller pieces make the filling easier to scoop and shape.
Chill the filling completely. This is important because warm filling will be difficult to shape and may fall apart during breading.
Don’t skip the second egg dip. Dipping the croquettes in egg, flour, egg, and then panko helps create a sturdy, crispy coating.
Keep the oil at 350°F. If the oil is too cool, the croquettes can become greasy. If it is too hot, the outside may brown before the inside is heated.
Don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry only a few at a time so the oil temperature stays consistent.
Adjust the heat. For spicier croquettes, add finely diced jalapeño peppers to the chicken mixture before chilling.
I placed some of these in a Ziploc freezer bag after they were fried and froze them. They maintained their shape.
To reheat them, I put them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until hot in the center.
If you want to add more heat, add some diced jalapenos to
the chicken mixture before chilling.
Why You Will Love These Mini Chicken Bacon Croquettes
- People love mini appetizers at a party.
- These are so flavorful.
- This recipe makes a lot, so it is good to serve a crowd.
What Can I Serve With Chicken Bacon Croquettes?
These Mini Chicken Bacon Croquettes can be served with
ranch dressing, honey mustard dipping sauce, or the Rotel
dip I also created for them.
Ro*tel Ranchero Dipping Sauce:
This creamy, cheesy dipping sauce is one of my favorite ways to serve these croquettes.
I tested the sauce using both bottled ranch dressing and dry ranch dressing mix. Both versions tasted delicious. The dry mix produced a slightly thicker dip, so either option works.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing or 1 (1-ounce) package dry ranch dressing mix
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 (10-ounce) can Ro*tel, drained
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Additional shredded cheddar cheese for topping
How to Make the Dip
- Combine the ranch dressing or dry ranch mix with the softened cream cheese. Beat with a mixer until smooth.
- Stir in the Ro*tel and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Transfer to an ovenproof dish and sprinkle additional cheese over the top.
- Bake at 350°F for 15–20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and the cheese has melted.
The dip can also be kept warm in a slow cooker.
Frequently Asked Question
Can I Make Mini Chicken Bacon Croquettes Ahead?
Yes! These are a great make-ahead appetizer. You can prepare and fry the croquettes ahead of time, allow them to cool completely, and store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
They can also be frozen. I have frozen the fried croquettes in a freezer bag, and they maintained their shape very well.
To reheat, place the frozen croquettes on a baking sheet and heat at 375°F for about 15–20 minutes, or until heated through. For the best texture, I recommend reheating them in the oven rather than the microwave.
Another hot appetizer for tailgate parties is
Hot Pimento Sausage Dip
These Mini Chicken Bacon Croquettes may take a little more preparation than some of my other appetizers, but they are worth it. The crispy coating, creamy chicken and bacon filling, and flavorful dipping sauce make them something special.
This post was shared on Sweet Little Bluebird Weekend Potluck
MINI CHICKEN BACON CROQUETTES
Ingredients
- CROQUETTES:
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon onion minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 2-3 cups rotisserie chicken finely chopped or ground in food processor
- 4-6 slices bacon crisp fried and crumbled
- 2 Tablespoons buffalo wing sauce
- jalapeno slices diced (optional)
- Crisco vegetable oil for frying
- BREADING:
- 1 cup milk
- 2 extra large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3-4 cups panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, melt the butter. Whisk in flour, salt, pepper, and onion. Simmer over a low heat for about 1 minute, whisking constantly.
- Slowly, whisk in the chicken broth and milk until smooth. I start with 1/4 cup of milk. Cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat
- Stir in the parsley, chicken, bacon and buffalo wing sauce. Mixture should be thick. It will thicken more as it cools. Place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. May even be done overnight. **(if mixture is too thin to roll into balls after cooling, just add some panko bread crumbs. If it is too thick, stir in a little more of the milk)
- Create a breading station. Whisk together milk and eggs in one bowl. Place flour in one bowl. Place bread crumbs in another bowl. (Add additional ingredients to any of the bowls if needed. I ran low on panko the first time I made these)
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a small scoop, or spoon, shape chicken mixture into small balls. I used a scoop that gave me the size of a 2 bite croquette. Roll a ball of chicken mixture into egg mixture, then flour, back into egg, and then into bread crumbs. This is where I shaped them into cone shapes and rolled again in the crumbs. Place cones on the parchment paper. Repeat with each croquette. Refrigerate or place in freezer if not frying immediately.
- Heat desired amount of vegetable oil in a pan for frying. Temperature should be 350 degrees F.
- Carefully, add about 4 or 5 croquettes at a time. I flipped them around with a large spoon. Fry until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oil onto a paper towel lined tray.
- Serve hot. May be re-heated in oven if needed.
- Serve with your favorite dip. They are great with a ranch or honey mustard dip.
- Number of servings will depend on size you make them. I got about 36.
Notes
This recipe makes enough to serve a crowd. People love mini appetizers at a party. This is a budget friendly appetizer.
Perfect for a snack or appy
Saw this awesome post at The Country Cook.
My entries are Cauliflower and Chickpea Korma and Lemony Madeira Cake
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