Chicken and Beef Croquettes (Pozharsky Kotleti)

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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).

There are several stories circulating about the origin of pozharsky croquettes, but I like this one best: After Emperor Alexander’s coach wheel busted in Torzhok, a small town along the Moscow-St.Petersburg road, his servant ordered breakfast for their crew from the Pozharsky tavern. The Emperor fancied himself some veal croquettes (his favorite), but since the tavern didn’t have veal in stock, Daria Pozharksy (the hostess) got creative and made her own chicken croquettes. The Emperor was smitten, coined the name Pozharsky Kotelti, and the rest is history :). Pozharsky kotleti have been enjoyed by royalty, nobility and later became popular in restaurants and with the common peeps.

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:

1. In a shallow bowl, combine 3 slices crustless bread with 1/3 cup milk. Set aside to soak a few minutes.

2. 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).

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

Chicken and Beef Croquettes (Pozharsky Kotleti)

4.96 from 21 votes

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

These chicken and beef kotleti (Russian croquettes) are soft, juicy and super flavorful. If you've never tried one; you my friend are missing out. These croquettes are inspired by the famous Russian Pozharsky Kotleti which have been enjoyed by royalty, nobility and later became popular in restaurants and commoners. Enjoy these with anything you can dream up - potatoes, pasta, quinoa, buckwheat... or put them between a dinner roll and make amazingly good sliders for your next party!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Ingredients 

Servings: 20 kotleti

Ingredients for Croquettes:

• 3 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 lb ground chicken, *see notes
• 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

Breading/ Cooking:

• 2 eggs, beaten with a fork
• 1 cup dry Italian bread crumbs
• Light Olive Oil and unsalted butter to saute, equal parts

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Instructions

• 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.

Notes

On Ground Chicken: You can either use a meat grinder or a food processor, or even a strong blender like Blendtec to grind your own chicken.

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian

Keyword: Chicken and Beef Croquettes, Pozharsky Kotleti

Skill Level: Medium

Cost to Make: $$

♥ 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)?