Coxinhas

Coxinha are a Brazilian treat - delicious balls of chicken (or cheese or even miced beef) that have been shaped into a drumstick or ball, battered and fried.
They're easy to eat on the go, they're a meal unto themselves, they have a unique appearance (simulated drumstick), and most importantly, they are deep fried and delicious!

Taa..raaaa

to make the coxinhas (my Gringo way)

• 3 chicken breast fillets  (or meat off the chicken leg is very good too, richer meat as more red fibres) 
• 1 litre chicken stock (cube is fine) I used Knor 
• 1 small onion (chopped fine)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 375 ml milk
• 50 grams butter
• 450 grams plain flour
• 1 small handful fresh parsley
• 3 spring onions (green part only)
• salt                                                           
• pepper                                                          

to fry

• 2 litres vegetable oil
• 250 ml milk
• 200 grams very fine breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg

 

1. Poach the chicken breasts in the chicken stock in a saucepan until cooked; this will take around 15 minutes, but do check they are cooked through. Remove from liquid and let cool. (I used a pressure cooker for this)
2. While the chicken is cooking, fry the chopped onion and garlic in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 10 minutes, until soft.
3. Remove some of the chicken stock, so that only 375ml / 1½ cups remains and then add the 375ml / 1½ cups milk along with the butter, and melt the butter in the liquid in the pan then slowly beat in the flour and cook just for a few minutes until the dough begins to come together and also come away from the sides of the pan as you stir. Turn the dough out onto a plate and leave until it's cool enough to handle comfortably.
4. While you're waiting for the dough to cool, finely chop the chicken, parsley and spring onions, add salt and pepper to taste and leave this finely chopped mixture while you get on with the dough.
5. Do not flour a surface, but simply knead the dough until it is smooth and bouncy (about 10 minutes), and then pinch off walnut sized lumps of dough, roll them into a ball and then flatten into discs with a slight lip at the edges
6. Take these rounds and add a wee teaspoon of chopped chicken and bring up the edges, all around, so that you have a ball, which you coax with your fingers into a bulbous pear shape. Place on a lined baking sheet and get on with the rest.
7. Heat the oil, (I used a Breville Deep Fat fryer) 180ºC/350ºF. You don't really need a cooking thermometer: simply add a tiny ball of dough and if it starts fizzling straight away, and rising goldenly to the top of the pan instantly, the oil is hot enough. But while you wait for it to heat up, dip the coxinhas....
8. Beat the egg with the 125ml / ½ cup milk in one dish; tip the very fine breadcrumbs into another. Dip the coxinhas first into the egg mixture then into the sandy breadcrumbs, making sure they are well covered, then leave on a lined baking sheet.
9. When the oil is hot enough, deep-fry the coxinhas, about 5 at a time, until they are gorgeously golden, in about 2 minutes'  time. Remove to a baking sheet lined with kitchen paper.
10. If you wish, you can keep your cooked coxhinas warm in a 120ºC/250ºF oven while you continue with the rest.

You can also use cheese instead of chicken or use both separately (make the cheese ones round so you know the difference if you are inviting veggie guests to dinner) Add a squeeze of lime to the filling for extra flavor