Rissois de Galinha - Chicken Rissoles

Being Portuguese these were always one of my favorite things to eat but equally scary to make.

I remember sitting in the kitchen when I was growing up and watching my greatgrandmother, grandmother and stepmom making these. I would get to help but always found it so time consuming and one of those scary dishes to try myself.

I first attempted to make them within the first year I was married and quickly realized that they're extremely easy to make though they do take a bit of time so plan on making them on the weekend or when you know you have an hour or so devoted to fixing dinner.

Quick note: These can be made with chicken, shrimp and even tuna.

RISSOIS DE GALINHA - CHICKEN RISSOLES

Dough:
2 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of flour

Add the milk, butter, salt and pepper to a pan and cook over medium heat until the milk begins to boil. Add the flour all at once and stir quickly, continue stirring until the dough forms a ball and unsticks from the sides of the pan.

Remove the dough to a floured counter and allow to cool completely. I knead it every once in a while to prevent a crust from forming.

For the Filling:
Cooked chicken (I used two bags of the cooked grilled chicken)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
About a cup of milk
About 2 tablespoons of flour
salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, add a little bit of olive oil, not much at all, add the onions and the garlic.

Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until onion is tender. Add the chicken, salt and pepper to taste.

I then add about a cup or so of milk and about 2 or so tablespoons of flour, then stir really well to dissolve well. Cook for a minute or so until thickened. You're pretty much making a bechamel sauce.


For the rissoles:

Roll the dough out, you don't want it very thick or very thin. It's so hard to explain these things, I'm a visual person LOL

Using a glass or mug, cut circular shapes out of the dough.

Drop a heaping teaspoon into the middle of the dough, use a little bit of water around the edges and fold in half. Seal tightly. Set aside.

Dip the rissoles in beaten egg and then bread crumbs and fry until golden brown.

These cook pretty fast so please keep an eye on them, pretty much one minute or so per side.

You don't have to cook them all, they freeze really well and I always have some in the freezer for a quick lunch or snack on the weekends.