Brazil's tear-drop chicken fritters with cream-cheese shredded chicken filling, breaded and deep-fried until gold.
Coxinhas (literally 'little thighs') are Brazil's most beloved street snack — small, tear-drop-shaped fritters made of soft dough wrapped around a filling of shredded chicken and Catupiry cream cheese, then breaded and deep-fried until they become golden, crisp, savoury jewels. They are everywhere in São Paulo and Rio: at bakery counters, party platters, beach-side carts, and gas-station hot cabinets. The technique is fiddly the first time (the dough is essentially a savoury choux made from chicken stock and flour) but rewarding — the deep-fried exterior cracks open to reveal warm cheesy chicken inside, which has earned coxinhas a cult following far beyond Brazil. Served as an aperitif with a cold Brahma or a guaraná soda, they are the most Brazilian of small bites.
Serves 12
Place chicken in a pot with water, halved onion, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook 18 minutes until just cooked through. Lift chicken out and shred finely with two forks. Reserve and strain the cooking stock — you need 500 ml.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet. Sauté diced onion 6 minutes until soft. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook 2 minutes. Add shredded chicken, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Off the heat, fold in Catupiry. Cool fully.
Bring 500 ml of the strained chicken stock, butter, and 1 tsp salt to a boil in a wide saucepan. When the butter has melted, dump in all the flour at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon over medium heat for 3–4 minutes — the dough comes together into a glossy ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Tip the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface. Let cool 5 minutes until handleable but still warm. Knead briefly to smooth it out.
Divide the dough into 12 even pieces. Take one piece in your palm and flatten into a disc 8 mm thick. Place a heaping tablespoon of cooled chicken filling in the center. Gather the edges up around the filling and pinch into a closed tear-drop shape, with a pointed top — the classic coxinha silhouette of a little chicken thigh.
Set out two wide shallow dishes: beaten egg and breadcrumbs. Dip each coxinha in egg, letting drips fall off, then roll in breadcrumbs, pressing lightly to coat. Place on a tray.
Heat oil to 175°C in a heavy pot.
Lower 3–4 coxinhas into the oil. Fry 4–5 minutes, turning gently, until deeply golden all over and crisp. Lift onto paper towels with a slotted spoon.
Continue with remaining coxinhas. Serve warm, piled on a platter — they're at their best 5 minutes after frying. Cold beer on the side.
Cool the dough only briefly — too cold and it cracks when shaping; too hot and it burns your hands.
Use the chicken stock for the dough — water alone makes the dough flavorless.
Freeze raw breaded coxinhas on a tray, then bag; fry from frozen with 1 extra minute.
Cheese-only coxinhas: skip chicken, double the Catupiry — very popular in Minas Gerais.
Spicy coxinha: add 1 tbsp minced jalapeño to the chicken filling.
Pumpkin and chicken coxinha: substitute 200 g cooked mashed pumpkin into the dough for a slightly sweet, autumn version.
Refrigerate cooked coxinhas up to 2 days; reheat in a 200°C oven for 10 minutes to crisp the shell. Microwave makes them soggy.
Coxinhas were reportedly invented in the late 19th century by a São Paulo cook for an aristocratic family whose son refused to eat chicken thighs unless they were disguised. The cook shaped dough around shredded chicken in the shape of small thighs, and the boy ate them happily — the dish quickly escaped the household and became a national obsession.
A Brazilian processed soft cream cheese — slightly tangy and very spreadable. Substitute full-fat Philadelphia mixed with a tablespoon of sour cream.
Either the seal wasn't tight or the oil was too hot. Pinch the dough firmly closed and fry at exactly 175°C.
Per serving (140g) · 12 servings total
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