Chicken Croquettes with Spicy Sriracha Aioli

Sometimes you just need to fry baby!  I love these croquettes and they are easy to fry.  Usually I end up with a crumbled mess but the mashed potato mixture really stays together in the oil.  The warm croquettes pair beautifully with the spicy aioli.  This recipe is perfect for parties or eating in front of your couch while watching reality tv. Did I really say that?? Nooo…

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes or 4 cups mashed potatoes (I cheated and used box mashed potato flakes)
1 cup roasted chicken meat, finely chopped (I cheated again and used a rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter, softened
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour
1 to 1-1/2 cups italian bread crumbs
oil for frying

Sriracha Aioli

2/3 cup mayonaisse
3 “squirts” Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic

Method:

Add garlic and onions to a small pan and sauté until onions are translucent and golden. Remove from the heat and set aside. If using a box mix, follow the instructions on the box to make mashed potatoes.  If not, fully wash and scrub potatoes to remove any dirt. In a large pan add potatoes and water until potatoes are fully covered with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cook for 20 – 30 minutes until you can pierce potatoes with a fork. Peel the skin and place in a large bowl. If you allow the potatoes to cool, the skin usually peels right off.  Using a potato masher or fork, mash the potatoes until the mixture is smooth and lump free. Add the milk, butter, onions and garlic mixture, chicken, mushrooms and combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Form the potato mixture into about 1 inch balls.  Completely dredge in the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.  In a large pan heat about 2 inches of oil.  Slowly lower the potato balls into the hot oil and fry turning once or twice until croquettes are dark and crispy.  Remove from the pain and place on a paper towel. Serve warm and enjoy

For the Sriracha Aioli combine mayo, garlic, Sriracha, lemon juice, and salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Mix well.  This is a flexible recipe so feel to adjust the seasonings to your taste.

Mini Chicken Tostada Bites & 1 Year Anniversary

So my one year anniversary of this blog occurred about 2 months ago. This whole working thing has put a real damper on my blogging but certainly not on my cooking.  I have a ton of post that have piled up on my phone that I’m waiting to draft. So…new posts coming soon!

In honor of my anniversary I’m posting one of my favorite appetizers! These tostada bites embody the whole “looks impressive isn’t impressive” notion that I love. They are a real crowd-pleaser!  Also, there are sooo many variations you can make with this.  Swap chicken for beef, or heck you can even make tiny dessert cups. If I made these again, I think I would add some diced tomato.

I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest. Usually I avoid these recipes cause they seem doomed for failure but this one definitely intrigued me.

Ingredients:

Tostada Cups

Flour or Corn Tortillas ( I found that an 8 inch tortilla would make 3 cups)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Mini Muffin Tins 

Method:

Preheat the over to 375 degrees.  If tortillas are cold microwave them for no longer than 20 seconds. Use a circular cutter (I may or may not have used the top of my margarita shaker) to cut out circular pieces. Once you have desired amount, brush each piece with olive oil.  Use a mini muffin tin (greased with cooking spray) and carefully place the circular piece into the tin. The Yummy Life does a far better job of explaining this process than I can ever do so please check out her site for all kinds of taco shell variations. I sprinkled some sea salt on my and popped them into the oven for 12 minutes.  They should easily slide right out.

Homemade Guacamole 

3-4 ripe avocados

salt and pepper

3 tbs lime juice freshly squeezed

2 large garlic cloves

1/2 cup small diced red onion

Hot sauce (to taste, definitely optional). 

1 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tbs cilantro 

Filling

Shredded chicken ( I used a store bought rotisserie chicken…works amazingly!)

Shredded Monterrey jack cheese (use any you would like)

Black Beans

Method:

Carefully layer chicken, guacamole, and black beans into the cups.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Enjoy!

Artichoke and Green Olive Tapenade

Did I just upload a recipe for olive tapenade last week? Yes. Did I find a new an improved recipe roughly ten minutes later? Yes. So here is is. 

This recipe is adapted from the fabulous Smitten Kitchen

Here is the lineup. This recipe features green olives, lemon, garlic, capers, and of course, artichokes (which will come later).Open up a can of artichoke hearts.

 

Combine the artichoke hearts, olives, olive oil, lemon, garlic and capers into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is chunky yet well mixed. 

 

Slice 1 – 1 1/2 inch thick pieces from a baguette.  Toast in a 400 degree oven for 6-7 minutes. 

Spread the tapenade on the toasted bread and serve immediately! 

Ingredients:

1 cup green pitted olives

1 tbs capers

14oz can of artichoke hearts

3 garlic cloves

1 tbs lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

 

Olive Tapenade

This tapenade is perfect to spread on crackers, chips, or even bread as a bruschetta. I know tapenade sounds fancy BUT, due to the handy dandy food processor, this recipe can be completed in just a few minutes.  The olive tapenade is a staple in my appetizer handbook.  It has even been voted fan favorite recipe from our Thanksgiving Table, so I thought I would share. PS. I’m brainstorming here and I think this would be a great “stuffer.” Stuffed mushrooms, stuffed chicken breast…do I have any takers?

Ingredients:

1/2 cup green olives

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tbsp capers

3 tbs fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper (this recipe can get overly salty because of the green olives.  Hold the salt if possible)

Method: Throw all of the above into a food processor….then turn it on.  I told you it was easy 🙂

I’m curious to hear what everyone thinks!