Coxinhas (Brazilian Chicken Croquettes)
So here I am, after a 3 day pause (I have lots going on), to talk about my home country and one of its most popular dishes: the coxinha.
You guys are going to hear lots about Brazil throughout my blog journey, since it is not only the country where I was raised and born, but also because it has amazing food!
Talking about Brazil is very bittersweet to me, as I have a relationship of love and hate with the country. I love all the natural resources, the people (we are indeed warm and welcoming, as you may have heard!), the food, the language, the parties, the culture and above everything else, my family and my friends (that still live down there). But I hate where we are politically and economically today. I can’t stand the government that has been in power for 12 years now. I can’t stand the violence, the absurd taxes, the lack of a solid educational system, the lack of good public health care, the traffic, the corruption, and the list goes on and on! I also can’t stand the people that defend this government and all those things mentioned above. So I’m happy I don’t live there anymore. I’m happy I live in a country that welcomed me with open arms and gave me the opportunity to meet the man of my dreams! Where I can work hard and make a decent living without being afraid of 1) thieves and 2) the government taking all my money in taxes! But deep down I’m sad because I wish the country was in a better shape as it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
But enough with the buts.. This is a happy blog and we’ll talk about happy things! The internet and the news are already full of the sad and depressing stuff! :-)
If you don’t know Brazil, it is the biggest country in South America and the capital is Brasilia! I know, shocking! I bet you thought it was Rio! :-P Our currency is the Real and we speak Portuguese, not Brazilian! (Although the language sounds so different that it should be called Brazilian…) The core culture of Brazil is derived from the Portuguese culture, since we were colonized by the Portuguese, but it was also strongly influenced by African, indigenous and non-Portuguese European cultures and traditions. We were also influenced by Japanese, Jewish and Arab cultures. My Lebanese friend got really surprised when I told her we have Arab fast food in Brazil… There is even a chain, called Habbib’s, that has drive thru service! Also, in São Paulo, we have a Japanese neighborhood called Liberdade, that host the second biggest Japanese community in the world, the first being in Japan (obviously)!
So, what else should I tell you about Brazil? Well, I’m sure you heard about Carnaval which is considered the most famous carnival festival in the world. It is celebrated differently in every State but we all celebrate it down there! Nobody works for a few days, which is awesome! And I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of the parades that we call Desfiles de Escola de Samba, with semi naked women, lots of partying, drinking and contagious music! Also, you may have heard that our national sport is soccer and that we are (or used to be) the best in the world, being the only country that has won the FIFA World Cup 5 times. (Italy comes next with 4 and now Germany has 4 too!)
There’s a lot I could tell you about Brazil, but there will be plenty of opportunities for that! I mean, if you keep reading my blog… ;-) You will also see lots of brazilian dishes around here, such as feijoada (our national dish), brigadeiros (chocolate fudge balls), pão de queijo (cheese bread), empadinhas (little pies filled with hearts of palm), caipirinha (our national cocktail, made with cachaça which is Brazil’s native liquor) and many many more!
So what is a coxinha? The coxinha (pronounced co-shee-nya) is a popular food in Brazil, consisting of a dough shaped in the form of a chicken leg and usually filled with shredded chicken and deep fried. It is usually served in parties, bars, street fairs and/or in coffee shops and bakeries and it comes in lots of different sizes, from cocktail sizes to large ones that can substitute a meal. They are great if accompanied by some beer! :-)
Before we start the recipe, let’s put a bowl of water in the freezer. This is going to be used to help coat our coxinhas in breadcrumbs later, before frying. I find the almost freezing water works better than eggs, as my coxinhas come out super crispy and crunchy on the outside when I use the water, as when I use eggs they are not crunchy and they usually burn on the outside while not cooking on the inside.
To make our coxinhas, let’s start by cooking the chicken and the potato in a pot with 8 cups of water and one cube of chicken bouillon. Wait for it to boil and then cover and cook until the potato and the chicken are fork-tender. Reserve 2.5 cups of the broth.
Mash the potato and set it aside.
Since I’m going to use my food processor to shred the chicken, I start by chopping my onions in it, while the chicken and the potato are cooking. I usually chop the onions by hand, but I couldn’t resist making my life easier! By now, you guys know how crazy I am about my food processor. I have a Kitchen Aid 13 Cup Food Processor that I love and recommend. Also, Kitchen Aid gives 20% off all food processors for my readers! If you are interested, you can find it here! (Use code FP20 at checkout)
So after you chop the onions, reserve them and then shred the chicken in the processor. You can absolutely do it by hand, I just like the practicality of using a food processor!
Now, let’s bring the broth back to the (empty) pot, with the mashed potatoes and the butter. Once it starts boiling, we add the flour slowly, stirring constantly until it forms a dough. Once the dough comes together and starts coming off the bottom of the pan, cook for a minute or two and turn the heat off. Although it is important that we work with the dough while it’s still warm, you can wait for it to cool a bit, so you won’t burn yourself. I usually put some olive oil on the counter and I poke the dough every now and then until it’s cool enough for me to handle it. Then I knead it just a bit until it’s silky and smooth.
While you’re waiting for the dough to cool, you can start doing the filling. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and the garlic until translucent. Add the chicken and sauté for a few minutes. Then add the poultry seasoning, the parsley and the salt and pepper (to taste). Give it a good mix and add the cream cheese. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cream cheese is melted and everything is incorporated.
To form small coxinhas, we are going to get a little piece of the dough and form a ball the size of a ping pong ball. You can make them bigger if you so desire.
Then, flatten the ball, creating a disc and then hollowing out the middle for the filling. You should have something resembling a shell… (Or, as someone described it, an artichoke heart). I don’t like my coxinhas too dense, so I make sure I open my discs, making them kinda thin, but still sturdy so it won’t break once I put the filling.
Spoon a tablespoon of the filling in the middle of your disc and then press the dough closed around the filling, shaping it as a teardrop. Proceed to make the rest of your coxinhas. This recipe makes approximately 30 small coxinhas, but you can make them any size you want!
Take the water from the freezer and put some breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. Instead of dipping the coxinha in the water, just wet one of your hands with water and pass it all over the coxinha. Then dip it in the breadcrumbs to coat. Continue until all your coxinhas are coated in breadcrumbs.
Heat enough oil to cover the coxinhas (so you don’t have to keep turning them) in a saucepan. You don’t wanna start frying your coxinhas before your oil is hot enough, as they would get soggy and oily. You also don’t want the oil to be too hot as they would burn on the outside. A good way of knowing if the oil is at the right temperature is adding a little ball of dough to the oil. When the dough rises, the oil is at the right temperature to start frying your coxinhas. You could also toss a match in the oil and wait for it to light up. When the match lights up, the oil is hot.
Fry the coxinhas, about 4 or 5 at a time, until they are golden. That can take anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. Usually, the first batches will take longer and as the oil gets hotter, they will take less time. Remove the fried coxinhas to a plate covered in paper towels.
Enjoy your coxinhas with some hot sauce and some ice cold beer! YUM!
P.S. You can also make the coxinhas ahead of time and freeze them. Just make sure you defrost them in the fridge before frying them.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase using the link I posted.
Coxinhas (Brazilian Chicken Croquettes)
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1.5 pounds chicken breasts
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the dough
- 1 large potato
- 2.5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cube of chicken bouillon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- Breadcrumbs for breading
- Bowl of ice cold water
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Cook the chicken and the potato in 8 cups of water and 1 cube of chicken bouillon, over medium heat. Once the potato and the chicken are fork tender, take them out and reserve 2.5 cups of the broth for the dough.
- Mash the potato and reserve. Shred the chicken and reserve.
- Bring the broth back to the pot and add the mashed potatoes and the butter. Cook under medium heat. When it boils, add the flour a little at a time, stirring constantly, until it forms a dough.
- Transfer the dough to a clean counter. Knead the dough while it's still warm, until silky and smooth.
- To make the filling, sauté the onions and garlic until translucent and the add the chicken, poultry seasoning and the parsley. Mix everything together and season with salt and pepper. Add the cream cheese and cook until the cream cheese is melted and everything is incorporated.
- To assemble the coxinhas, take a little piece of the dough and form a ping pong sized ball. Flatten it into a disc, hollowing up the middle for the filling.
- Spoon a tablespoon of the filling into the middle of dough and press the dough closed around the filling, shaping it like a teardrop. Continue until you run out of dough.
- To coat your coxinhas with breadcrumbs, first wet one of your hands with cold water and pass it on the coxinha. Then, coat the coxinha with breadcrumbs. Set it aside in a baking sheet and continue to coat all your coxinhas.
- Fill a Dutch oven or large pot with enough vegetable oil to cover the coxinhas.
- Heat the oil and fry your coxinhas in batches, until they're golden brown.
- Place the fried coxinhas on a plate covered with paper towels to drain the excess oil.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- You can use catupiry cheese instead of the cream cheese, if you can find it.
- You can freeze your coxinhas before frying. Make sure you defrost them in the fridge the night before using them
42 Comments on “Coxinhas (Brazilian Chicken Croquettes)”
These sound delicious, Olivia! I’m going to try these this weekend.
Thank you, Solaera! Let me know what you think after you make them! :-)
Hola! Soy de Uruguay y entiendo lo que te pone descontenta,por aquí no es muy diferente.
De visita por tu país probé estas bombas de pollo pero nunca aprendí a prepararlas,ahora con este paso a paso seguro que voy a prepararlas.Saludos
I dub thee my new best friend.
Muinto obrigada. I’ve been having a rough time with my mother’s recipe and have been looking for a recipe that actually looked like coxinhas that you get off the vendors at the beach.
I’m missing my home like crazy as the years pass. This makes life a million times easier!!
Beijos!
Anic
Thanks, Anic! :) Are you brazilian too? I totally understand how hard it is to go months without coxinha haha!
Hi sweet Olivia,
I found your blog last night . What can I say about it? I just love it!! Just like you I am Brazilian too. I love coxinha de frango feita com massa de batata ou mandioca,eu uso farinha de arroz no lugar da de trigo. Fica mais leve e mais saudavel ate para quem nao e CELIACO.
Abracos
Adele
great post and recipe. thanks for sharing
Olá Olivia!
Eu também sou brasileira mas moro na Nova Zelândia e sou louca por coxinha!!!
No Brasil eu tentei, uma vez, fazer coxinha e foi um desastre e pela facilidade em encontrar essas delicias em qlr esquina, nunca mais me interessei em aprender.
Como aqui na NZ essas gostosuras são raridades, eu e meu namorado(neozelândes) fizemos hoje pela terceira vez as coxinhas seguindo exatamente sua receita e dicas, e elas sempre ficam perfeitas, que DELÍCIA.
Obrigada pela receita e dicas, seu blog é maravilhoso!!!!
Oi Eveline! Nossa que bom receber seu comentário. Fiquei feliz! :) Eu também só aprendi a fazer coxinha depois que me mudei pra fora do Brasil. E foi só ai aprendi que coxinha feita em casa é bem melhor do que as de padaria! rsrs Enfim, que bom que gostaram. Keep in touch! Tenho várias outras receitas brasileiras gostosas pra quem está com saudade da comidinha do Brasil! ♥ ♥ ♥
Thank you for this recipe! My husband and his family moved to the states from Recife. I am from the US but I am trying to learn to cook some of his favorite foods from Brazil. My mother-in-law does not speak English very well and makes amazing food but doesn’t use recipes, so she hasn’t been able to show me how to make anything. I am glad to find a recipe from a Brazilian in English, haha. I am excited to make these. Side note: Our first child is named Olivia. She is 3 years old and the most beautiful little menina, so I’m even a bigger fan of your page now :)
Oi Olivia, parabens! Palavras sábias, receitas deliciosas!
God bless!
Anne, obrigada pelas doces palavras! :) :)
I fell in love with these many years ago but no one sells them near my home. I followed your recipe and they look great and taste delicious but they are gummy under the crust! What did I do wrong?
Hi Venita, the coxinhas are indeed very soft, because of the potato. If they were too undercooked, maybe fry them for longer? Make sure your heat is not too high, or they will get golden brown on the outside but undercooked inside! I hope that helps!
My dough is very sticky! Did I do something good wrong? The filling looks great, though! Can’t wait to finish these up after trying to thicken this dough!
Hi Kathryn. Yes, the dough is sticky! I usually wet my hands with water to shape it. If you want, you can add a little more flour, but I would advise against it, if you can, as the sticky dough means a soft and pillowy coxinha! :)
Olá, há uma incrível variedade de coxinhas e a sua é mais uma das receitas possíveis. Faço coxinhas há muitos anos e nunca senti ter feito a coxinha ideal, embora todas as que faço fiquem excelentes. Uma boa dica que sempre ofereço é utilizar amido de milho e água para empanar. Basta colocar 1 colher de chá de amido de milho para dissolver em 1 xícara de chá de água e levar ao fogo baixo por 2 minutos. Você fará uma espécie de cola, sem virar mingau. Aí é só passar nessa mistura e na farinha de rosca, deixar no freezer por uns 30 minuto e depois fritar. Os coxinhas ficam incrivelmente crocantes.
Yes! I’ve been looking for a coxinha recipe! I traveled to Brazil for 2 months last year and this was one of my favorites. Random question…do Brazilians normally coat with bread crumbs or with farofa?
Hi Tyler,
some people coat them with breadcrumbs (farinha de rosca) and some with yucca flour (farinha de mandioca). Farofa is when you transform the yucca flour in some sorts of “stuffing”, like sauteing it with butter and onions or adding things like eggs, sausage, etc. :) I hope that answers your question.
Yes fafinha de mandioca is what I meant. Thank you!
How large a package of cream cheese?
Hi I’ve tried making coxinha but with a slightly different recipe. The only problem I have is that when I fry it, it stays like a dough in the inside. Is that how it’s supposed to be?
Muito obrigada pela receta! I’ve been looking for a Brazilian dish or treat I could prepare for a club I’m trying to start at my university for those that are interested in Brazil’s language and culture. These coxinhas or your stroganoff look like great options. I look forward to trying out these and more recipes from your blog. All the best to you!
Hi Olivia, thanks for the recipe am gona make it for my mum birthday can i prepare it one day ahead and keep it in fridge then fry next day or it will not be crunchy ? TIA
Hi Sara, so sorry for such a late reply. Your comment ended up in spam! Yes, you can prepare the coxinhas a day ahead and fry the next day.
Thank you so much. This is one of the best things I’ve ever cooked, and I’ve done a lot of cooking!
Ability to print the recipe would be great..
Hi, I am unable to see the actual recipe for this, can you please send to me? thanks!
Hi Nick! Sorry about that. It’s fixed now, but I’ll send the recipe to your email. Thank you!
Approximately how many will this recipe make?
Hello,
I have a question, under the ingredients for the dough, you listed a cube of chicken bouillon however you do not mention it whatsoever under the dough prep instruction.
Do you add the cube of chicken bouillon to the dough?
Thanks a lot!
You cook the chicken in water with a chicken bouillon. Hope that helps!
I made these tonight and they were as close to what I’ve had in Brazil as anything I’ve previously made. Great recipe and much easier than others I have made.
So glad! Thanks for the feedback. :)
hi ! i’ve been looking for a recipe like this for long!! but i would like to ask if i can bake them instead of frying them ?
:)
Yes! You can definitely bake it instead of frying.
How do you bake them? We tried that once and basically they just melted into a blob.
Truth be told, I haven’t tried baking them yet. Maybe you can freeze them before baking?
Olivia
My husband is Brazilian and I love Comida Brasilieros. Your website is so amazing. I get some recipes from his mother but most, like coxinha, I take from you. Thank you SO much!! This is the best recipe website on the net. Everything I make from your site is amazing. Baccalau (sp?) is my next attempt. I call it fish lasagna but it is so good!
Again thank you!
Gregory
Hi Gregory,
I’m so happy you like my recipes! I hope you love the bacalhau too. 😊
Best,
Olivia
Great recipe! Definitely labor intensive, but so good!
Coxinhas are always worth the work! ❤️