Coxinha
coxinhas
Brazilian teardrop-shaped croquettes filled with shredded chicken, named for their resemblance to a chicken thigh. Its name means “little thigh,” referring to its chicken-leg shape.
About this dish
Coxinha is a Brazilian chicken-filled croquette shaped to resemble a small chicken leg. It is familiar as a party food and snack; the cooked flour dough and breadcrumb crust distinguish it from a pastry-wrapped turnover.
Recipe
Brazilian chicken coxinhas
Dough
- 400 ml chicken broth
- 150 ml milk
- 40 g butter
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
Filling
- 350 g cooked shredded chicken
- 1 onion (100 g), minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Coating
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 150 g breadcrumbs
- 750 ml oil for frying
- 1
Filling: 350 g cooked shredded chicken; 1 onion (100 g), minced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Cook onion and garlic in filling oil; mix with chicken, herbs and filling seasoning. Cool. Soften onion over moderate heat and garlic briefly without burning. Mix filling evenly and cool promptly.
- 2
Dough: 400 ml chicken broth; 150 ml milk; 40 g butter; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Bring broth, milk, butter and dough salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir over low heat until a smooth dough pulls away from the pan, about 3 minutes. Cool until handleable and knead smooth. Add flour all at once to boiling liquid, scrape firmly until dough gathers and leaves pan clean. Knead once safe to touch and cover unused dough.
- 3
Divide into 24, press each into a cup and enclose filling. Shape into a teardrop with a pointed top. Keep base thicker than rim, divide filling evenly, close every gap and smooth cracks before shaping tip.
- 4
Coating: 2 eggs, beaten; 150 g breadcrumbs. Dip in beaten eggs, coat in breadcrumbs and fry at 175°C/350°F in batches 4-6 minutes until crisp and hot inside. Drain. Coat all sides, use a thermometer and small batches in a pan no more than half full. Check a hot center and reheat chilled cooked filling to 74°C/165°F; drain and cool briefly.
Note
This selects the flour-and-broth dough without added potato. Coxinha’s teardrop shape resembles a chicken drumstick; filling is cooked before assembly.