I’ve discovered a new favourite way to use up leftover chicken. The usual ways of spending up leftover chicken would be sneaking them into fried rice, pasta, or a noodle/pasta soup. But this new one might just be my favourite as it’s mighty delicious. With a little air fryer magic, I’ve made these leftover chicken air fryer croquettes which have been a delight to savour. It’s got a lovely creamy interior and a gorgeous crispy breaded coating – it’s exactly what I’ll call a leftover food glow up!
The story behind this recipe is that the other half went a bit trigger happy on a late-night UberEats order and ended up with these leftover grilled chicken that he had no intention of eating the next day. I hate wasting food so my mind immediately started racing around to come up with a good recipe idea to spend the leftover chicken into my cooking. These air fryer croquettes are the end result of it and both he and I were surprised by how good it turned out. We gobbled the whole plate up within minutes.
You can pretty much use any leftover chicken. Whether it’s from grilled chicken or a weekend chicken roast, the recipe concept would work beautifully.
Don’t have an air fryer and thinking of getting one? Check these out:
- Ninja Dual Zone Air Fryer
- COSORI Smart Wifi Air Fryer
- Philips Essential Air Fryer with Rapid Air Technology
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How to make Leftover Chicken Air Fryer Croquettes
Ingredients
- Leftover Chicken – shredded up
- Butter, Plain Flour, Milk – to make the white sauce
- Grated Cheese – I used Vegetarian Italian Hard Cheese (i.e. halal substitute for Parmesan). You can also use other cheeses such as Cheddar, Mozzarella, etc.
- Salt, Black Pepper, Paprika, Chilli Powder, Garlic Powder, Chicken Bouillon cube – seasoning and spices
- Onions, Fresh Coriander Leaves – as part of the filling
- Egg – binding agent
- Panko and/or Golden Breadcrumbs – I used a blend of both. Further notes below.
Essentially, a thick sauce was made to gel the ingredients together and give moisture. I’ve combined the shredded leftover chicken with chopped onions and fresh coriander leaves, and mixed them with a spiced white sauce. Feel free to add some freshly chopped chillies in there as well if you fancy a kick of heat. Then it’s simply a matter of rolling them up into balls and the classic egg-dipping then breadcrumb-rolling to make the croquettes.
In terms of the choice of breadcrumb, I used a blend of both panko and golden breadcrumbs. While you can use either one to your own preference, I have my reasons for using both. First of all, panko breadcrumbs offer a lighter and delicate texture that gives an irresistible crisp for the coating. As for the golden breadcrumbs, I find it gelling better to the croquettes and help to keep their shape better.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out too:
- Breaded Pesto Air Fryer Chicken
- Buffalo Chicken Bites
- Honey Za’atar Air Fryer Halloumi
Leftover Chicken Air Fryer Croquettes Recipe
ET Food Voyage
Need new ideas for leftover chicken? Turn them into these easy-to-make but lipsmacking leftover chicken air fryer croquettes!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 12 croquettes
Calories 212 kcal
Equipment
Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 cup Leftover Chicken shredded
- 1 Egg beaten
- ½ cup Golden Breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Paprika
- ½ tsp Chilli Powder
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 2 heaped tbsp Plain Flour
- 1 cup Milk
- ⅓ cup Grated Cheese
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ cube Chicken Bouillon
- ½ Onion diced
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander Leaves chopped
Instructions
Melted butter in a pot over medium heat. Stir in flour and mix into a roux.
Whisk in milk and keep stirring for about 5 minutes until it starts to thicken.
Stir in grated cheese and season with salt, black pepper, paprika, chilli powder, garlic powder, and the crumbled bouillon cube.
Once thickened, remove from heat and add in the shredded chicken, chopped onions and coriander. Toss to combine. Set aside to allow to cool down.
Mix together both Panko and golden breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Place beaten egg in a separate bowl.
Scoop a tablespoon of the chicken mixture and shape it into a ball. Dip into beaten egg and then coat with breadcrumbs. Repeat with the remaining chicken mixture.
Preheat air fryer to 200°C. Brush the air fryer basket with a layer of oil.
Place the chicken croquettes into the basket. Brush them with oil and cook for 5 minutes.
Roll the croquettes to the other side, brush with more oil, and cook for another 5 minutes until golden in colour.
Allow to cool down for a few minutes before serving.
Keyword Air Fryer Recipe, Chicken, Starters
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