COXINHAS

Coxinhas image

Pronounced Co-Sheen-Yas. A dear friend of mine, who's boyfriend at the time was from Brazil, taught me to make these when I came over to help her do the cooking for a dinner party she was hosting for her family which included all of her boyfriend's favorite Brazilian foods. The whole family just went crazy over these! That was over a decade ago and we've been making them ever since! They are certainly a labor of love, but so worth it. These little guys are delicious!

Provided by Amy H. @Meave

Number Of Ingredients 12

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Ingredients

3 - boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup(s) chopped onion
2 clove(s) garlic, minced
8 cup(s) water
4 - beef bouillon cubes
1/4 cup(s) fresh, chopped parsley
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
3 cup(s) all purpose flour (more if needed to make dough elastic and less sticky)
1 package(s) (8 oz.) cream cheese
2 - eggs
2 cup(s) bread crumbs, dry

Steps:

Cut chicken breast into 2-inch cubes and bring to a boil in 8 cups water with onion, garlic, beef bouillon, salt over medium heat in a dutch oven until chicken shreds easily with a fork.
Remove chicken breast from broth reserving 3 cups of the broth; Set aside. Finely shred chicken; mix with ground pepper to taste, fresh parsley, and cream cheese. set aside. (I put the cream cheese in with the chicken and give it a few "go rounds" with the electric mixer. It shreds the chicken and mixes in the cream cheese at the same time very nicely.)
Bring the 3 cups of the reserved broth to a boil. Gradually add the 3 cups of flour into the boiling water and stir vigorously for about 1 minute or until it becomes a smooth dough.
Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness with a rolling pin on a well floured surface. Cut dough into circles using a biscuit cutter or a glass.
Place a couple of teaspoons or so of chicken mixture onto the dough round. Close dough over filling and fold into a shape similar to a chicken drumstick. (Coxinha means little chicken drumstick) Repeat until all the dough and filling is used.
Baste the coxinas in egg and roll in bread crumbs. Deep fry at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels. Let cool a bit and serve.
TIP: Don't be intimidated by this dough. It can get very sticky. Don't be afraid to add more flour. Lots of flour is a must in order to handle this dough. Don't be afraid to squish it into the shape it needs to be in. It's tough to handle, but once fried with the breadcrumbs it will look very pretty. It kind of takes practice making these but they are very delicious!