Airfryers are for life, not just for whims!

In a way that somebody else converts to Judaism or becomes a Hare Krishna, I belong to the church of fried chicken.

Padma Lakshmi

A couple of years ago, at a time I was looking at how I could eat more healthily I bought myself an Airfryer, never heard of them – well, imagine a deep fat fryer that uses very, very little fat! As with a lot of things I buy on a whim, I used it a few times and then found a place in a cupboard where it could grow old and dusty next to my juicer! Fast forward to mid-summer and I’m chatting with some colleagues and the topic of Airfryers comes up, turns out, one of my friends can’t LIVE without hers, she uses it at least every other day. I tell her about my poor, forgotten Philips Viva Airfryer and she’s looking at me like I’ve got two heads.

Truth is, I’d only used mine to crisp up some veggies, sweet potato, celeriac, carrots, that sort of thing, and, as I’d had very little success, i.e., the end result was far from crispy as you can get, I’d given up! My colleague is surprisingly sympathetic, she’d had a similar experience, but clearly, she has more perseverance than I! She gives me a recipe to try telling me it will convert me into an Airfryer enthusiast, with a stifled sigh I agree to her emailing it to me.

So, here’s the thing – it’s bloody gorgeous, so gorgeous I’m going to share it with you!

Leftover Chicken Air Fryer Croquettes Recipe

I love a roast chicken or a chicken cordon bleu or even Kentucky Fried Chicken, however, my eyes are very often bigger than my belly. After receiving the recipe, I kind of forgot about it then, after a dinner of Cumin and yoghurt chicken with cucumber and dill salad, I found myself with loads of chicken left over – ah, thinks I, why not have a go at the recipe and see how it turns out!

How to make it

Leftover Chicken – shredded up

Butter, Plain Flour, Milk – For the white sauce

Grated Cheese – I used a Spanish Hard Cheese called Zamorano but Manchego would work just as well or closer to home you could use any hard cheeses such as Cheddar or Parmesan.

Salt, Black Pepper, Paprika, Chilli Powder, Garlic Powder, Chicken Bouillon cube – seasoning and spices

Onions, Fresh Coriander Leaves – as part of the filling

Egg – As a binding agent

Panko Breadcrumbs – you could use Golden Breadcrumbs however I find Panko work best in the Airfryer.

Essentially, the thick sauce was helps to gel the ingredients together and give moisture. Simply combine the shredded leftover chicken with chopped onions and fresh coriander leaves, and mixed them with the spiced white sauce. A nice touch, for me or someone similar that likes spice is to add some freshly chopped chillies for a bit of a kick. Then it’s simply a matter of rolling them up into balls with the egg wash then roll them in the Panko breadcrumbs to make the croquettes.

Ingredients

300g Leftover Chicken shredded
150g Panko Breadcrumbs
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
½ tsp Chilli Powder
2 tbsp Butter
2 heaped tbsp Plain Flour
250mls of Milk
100g Grated Cheese
½ tsp Garlic Powder
½ cube Chicken Bouillon
½ Onion diced
2 tbsp Fresh Coriander Leaves chopped

Instructions

Melt the 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.
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.

What comes out is a lovely, moist, fluffy croquette that is beautiful dipped in aioli or even a spicy sauce, I sometimes make a salsa with it and it goes beautifully with a tomato and red onion salad or for cold autumn and winter evenings, that loveliest of comfort foods, a crisp baked potato with lashings of butter! It’s dead simple, give it a go and become a convert like me!

A quick addition, I was telling a friend of mine from the US, Liara about this post – she’s already a total convert, she showed me this and it’s available in the UK!! Guess what Father Christmas is getting me for being a good, (mostly!) girl this year!

What’s on this week?