Makes: 20 coxinhas
Preparation Time: 2 hours
Level: Medium/ Difficult
INGREDIENTS
- 150 G BUTTER
- 1 TABLESPOON SALT
- 3⅓ CUP ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
- 4 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
- ½ ONION, CHOPPED
- 2 CLOVES OF GARLIC, CHOPPED
- 500 G CHICKEN BREAST, COOKED AND SHREDDED
- 1 TEASPOON TOMATO PASTE
- ½ BUNCH PARSLEY, CHOPPED
- 4 EGGS
- 4 CUPS DRIED BREADCRUMBS
- CORN OIL, FOR FRYING
PREPARATION
Heat 1 litre of water with butter and salt. At boiling point, pour the flour all at once, stirring constantly, until dough starts to pull away from the bottom. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat the olive oil and sauté onion and garlic. Add the chicken and tomato paste, stir well and salt to taste. Add the parsley and remove from heat. Roll the dough into little balls and flatten into discs with your fingertips. Add the chicken filling, bring the edges together and shape the coxinhas (they must look like little pears). Dip them in the beaten egg, then coat in breadcrumbs. Fry in hot oil until golden. You can also add creamy requeijão (Brazilian cheese spread) to the filling, if you like.
IN DETAIL: Although French people have been preparing “croquette de poulet” since the 19th century, this beloved Brazilian appetizer made with shredded and seasoned chicken was born in São Paulo in the 1920s, near factories’ gates. People from Minas Gerais state incorporated requeijão into the filling.
