This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy. These chicken and beef kotleti (Russian croquettes) are soft, juicy and super flavorful. I liken our strong love for kotleti to the old Klondike Bar commercial – “Wha-at would you do for a kotle-eta?” It’s catchy, right? 😉 If you’ve never tried one; you my friend are missing out. My husband, Vadim, developed these katleti when I was 9 months pregnant and a little short on cooking motivation :). He not only does much of the technical stuff for our blog, he’s also an awesome cook. My son tried a bite of one and demanded another before he finished the first! That’s music to any parent’s ears. Way to go Vadim! I definitely married up :). These croquettes are inspired by the famous Russian Pozharsky Kotleti (read on to learn the story).
Ingredients for Chicken and Beef Croquettes (Katleti):
3 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed 1/3 cup whole milk 1 lb ground chicken (*see note) 1 lb lean ground beef 1/3 cup finely diced onion (1 small onion) 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted 2 eggs separated into yolks and whites 2 Tbsp fresh or frozen dill, chopped 1/2 Tbsp salt 1/2 tsp ground black pepper *Note: You can either use a meat grinder or a food processor, or even a strong blender like Blendtec to grind your own chicken breast or thighs.
Breading/ Cooking:
2 eggs, beaten with a fork 1 cup dry Italian bread crumbs Light Olive Oil and unsalted butter to saute (equal parts)
How to Make Chicken Croquettes:
In a shallow bowl, combine 3 slices crustless bread with 1/3 cup milk. Set aside to soak a few minutes.
In the bowl of a mixer (or you can mix by hand), combine 1 lb ground chicken, 1 lb ground beef, 1/3 cup finely diced onion, 3 Tbsp melted butter, 2 egg yolks, 2 Tbsp dill, 1/2 Tbsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Add milk-soaked bread to the mixing bowl (adding any remaining milk from the plate) and mix until well combined (I used a paddle attachment on low speed).
In a separate medium mixing bowl, beat 2 egg whites on high speed until stiff peeks form. Use a spatula to blend the egg whites into the meat mixture until well combined.
Set up 1 bowl with some cold water to keep hands moist while forming patties. Pour 2 beaten eggs into a second shallow bowl and in a third shallow bowl, add 1 cup Italian bread crumbs.
With wet hands, form patties into ovals (I used a flat ice cream scoop to get even patties). Dip patties on both sides into beaten egg, letting excess egg drip off. Finally dip into bread crumbs and place on a cutting board until ready to saute. It helps to pre-make all of the patties before starting to saute.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium/low heat with 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp oil. When butter sizzles, add patties about 6 at a time (don’t crowd the pan). Saute about 5 min each side (10 min total), flipping a few times while cooking. To check for doneness: juices will run clear when pierced with a knife, or simply cut one in half and take a peek inside.
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥ Shown in this post: (nope, no one paid us to write this; just stuff we love): *Ofcourse the “workhorse”: KitchenAid Pro 6Qt * A good food processor like this Cuisinart 11-cup pro can cut your prep time * We’ve had these non-stick Circulon pans for 10 years. So useful! * Credits: Recipe inspired by the Chicken Croquettes Pozharsky Recipe in Please to the Table – The Russian Cookbook
Enjoy these with anything you can dream up – potatoes, pasta, quinoa, buckwheat. All so good! you can also put them between a dinner roll and make amazingly good sliders for your next party! A you a fan of kotleti (croquettes)?
