• 1 boiled chicken
• 40 g(1½ oz) butter
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped celery leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 ripe tomato, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour
• 250 ml(9 fl oz/1 cup) chicken broth
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• dry breadcrumbs, for coating
• light olive oil, for frying
• lemon wedges, to serve

Pick all the chicken meat off the bones and throw away all the skin, bones and bits you don’t want. Chop up the chicken finely and put it in a bowl.

Melt half the butter in a small pan and sauté the onion over medium–low heat until it is soft and lightly golden. Add the celery, parsley and garlic and, when you can smell the garlic, add the tomato. Simmer until it has totally melted, squashing it with a wooden spoon now and then as you stir.

Meanwhile, melt the rest of the butter in another small pan over medium heat and then stir in the flour. Whisk in the broth, and let it cook for a few minutes until it is bubbling up nicely. Whisk well to make sure it is totally smooth. Pour into the chicken bowl and add the tomato mixture, too. Add the egg and mix everything together well. Taste for salt, adding a little extra if you think it’s needed.

Put the bowl in the fridge for half an hour or so, so that you are able to roll out the croquettes more easily.

Take scoops of the mixture, more or less the size of eggs, and shape them into croquettes. Put the breadcrumbs on a plate and lightly roll the croquettes in them.

Pour about 2 cm(¾ inch) of oil into a large non-stick frying pan and put over high heat. When the oil is hot, add enough of the croquettes to fit comfortably in the pan. Fry until they are deep golden brown all over, turning them gently with tongs. Lift them out onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb as much of the oil as possible while you fry the rest. Put them onto a clean platter to serve, with lemon wedges, if you like.