Pulled Chicken Neck Croquettes with Thyme-Infused Aioli - By Flora Philips (Floffal)
We invited Flora Philips - butcher, offal advocate, and founder of Floffal - to join us in re-imagining the humble bag of giblets that so often goes overlooked. Together, we wanted to spark a deeper conversation around cooking with the whole bird: the flavour, the nourishment, the ethics, and the quiet beauty of using these vital parts well.
Flora has created a series of explorative, thoughtful recipes that move beyond the introductory ways of using giblets (such as stocks and gravies) - encouraging you to look a little closer, taste a little deeper, and rediscover the joy of cooking with the whole bird.
Learn more about our collaboration here and follow Flora on Instagram here.
Chicken necks are one of the most overlooked parts of the bird, yet they hold incredible depth and richness when treated with care. In this recipe, they’re slow-braised until the meat slips effortlessly from the bone, then folded into a silky roux and shaped into crisp, golden croquettes. Served with Flora Philips’ (Floffal) fragrant thyme-infused aioli, they make a standout starter or a brilliant addition to a tapas-style spread. A dish that turns a humble cut into something playful, elegant, and deeply delicious - and a reminder that the smallest pieces often hold the biggest flavour.
You can make both the aioli and croquettes up to the frozen, breaded stage two days in advance.
Serves: Makes approximately 8 croquettes (more if you prefer smaller ones).
Prep time: 4 hrs (braising necks, forming and chilling croquettes, aioli)
Cooking time: 10 mins (for the prepared croquettes)
Ingredients:
12 Sutton Hoo chicken necks
2 shallots, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed but kept in their skins
½ leek, finely sliced
Bay leaves
Small bunch of fresh thyme sprigs
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tsp ground white pepper
2½ tsp salt (plus more to season to your taste)
2½ tbsp plain flour
200ml whole milk
200ml chicken stock
Olive oil
Butter
200g pack panko breadcrumbs (or homemade if you have some of yesterday’s bread)
2 eggs, beaten
150g plain flour
600ml vegetable oil
For the aioli
3 egg yolks
3 garlic cloves, crushed
½ lemon, juice and zest
50ml thyme-infused oil*
100ml olive oil
Salt
*If you don’t have thyme-infused oil, use 150ml olive oil to blend and incorporate a small handful of fresh thyme (different varieties, if you have them) with the lemon zest once the aioli is made. Homemade oils are a fantastic way to use herbs up – stems and all – and you can incorporate them as garnishes or into condiments such as aioli or mayonnaise for added depth of flavour, and often some exquisite green colours.
Method
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a heavy-based pot or Dutch oven. In batches, brown the chicken necks on all sides so that they are crisp and golden-brown. Set aside.
In the same pan, add the shallots, garlic and leek, and sweat them down so they become translucent, but avoid letting them colour. Add the fresh thyme leaves, white and black pepper and salt, and mix through. Take the pan off the heat, scrape the ingredients into a clean saucepan, and set aside.
In the new saucepan, add a good knob of butter and let it melt, then add in the plain flour and stir so it coats all the ingredients. Add the milk and stir vigorously until the flour starts to combine, then return the pan to the heat and add the chicken stock. Keep stirring until you have a gloopy roux. Set aside to cool.
In the first heavy-based pan, return the chicken necks with any juices that have bled as they cooled, along with the bay leaves, smashed garlic cloves, a good sprinkle of salt, thyme sprigs and black peppercorns. Add enough water so that the necks are well covered, with 2 inches more above. Bring the pot to a high simmer, then reduce to a gentle one and place a lid on top. Leave to cook for 2½ hours.
Meanwhile, make the aioli. Whisk the egg yolks, then with the crushed garlic until thoroughly combined. Mix in the lemon zest and juice, whisk, then begin to very slowly and steadily pour the oil into the egg mixture, whisking continuously (an electric whisk is helpful here, but you can also steady the bowl with a tea towel and whisk by hand). Once all the oil is combined and the mixture is thick and shiny, season with salt to taste, and add some more picked fresh thyme leaves if you like. Set aside in the fridge ready to serve later.
Take the pan of chicken necks off the heat and strain the liquid into another container. Let the cooked necks steam off and cool until you’re able to comfortably handle them. Prize the meat away from the bones with your thumbs in a peeling motion, collecting all the meat. Go through it again gently to ensure there are no small bones left – a bit like picking crab.
Combine the cooled roux mixture with the chicken neck meat. Scoop heaped tablespoons of the mixture and mould them into balls with your hands – this might get sticky, so have some water by your side to rinse. Lay the balls on a baking tray lined with baking paper and set aside in the freezer to firm up.
Meanwhile, put the flour in a bowl, breadcrumbs into a separate bowl, and whisk the eggs in another. Once the balls are frozen firm, take them out and coat each one in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, arranging them back onto the tray. Once all the balls are prepared, put them back in the freezer to keep firm while you prepare to fry them.
In a heavy-based pan, heat the vegetable oil until it reaches 175°C (or test with a few breadcrumbs – if they immediately sizzle and turn golden brown, the oil is ready). Fry the croquettes in batches on all sides until golden brown. Leave them to rest on some kitchen paper to soak up any residual oil.
Serve with a generous spoonful of the aioli, garnished with some fresh thyme leaves and a pinch of chilli flakes if you like.
