21 January

This is another Brazilian recipe that I've been experimenting with - Coxinhas de Galinha. This is something that you'll find in just about every lunch bar and cafe in Brazil, and is just as much an institution as the humble mince pie is in New Zealand and Australia. Coxinhas (pronounced "cosh-een-ya") were originally based around a chicken drumstick ... hence the traditional shape, however, this has long since been replaced with a chicken filling. There are also beef and vegetable variations. The filling is contained within a crumbed and deep fried batter which is made with a mixture of flour and mashed potato. Fortunately for me, they're also pretty easy to make.

Filling

Ingredient Name	Quantity
Shredded chicken thigh or breast meat	1.5 kg
Ricotta cheese (Requijão Cremoso)	2 teaspoons
Olive Oil	2 teaspoons
Small onion	1
Garlic (minced)	2 cloves
Other condiments to taste

Dough

Ingredient Name	Quantity
Water	1 cup
Milk	2 cups
Bacon stock cubes (optional)	2 cubes
Mashed Potato	1/2 cup
Butter or Margarine	1 Tablespoon
Standard Flour	2 1/2 cups

For Deep Frying

Ingredient Name	Quantity
Breadcrumbs
Eggs (beaten)	2
Cooking Oil (for deep frying)

Preparation:

Filling:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan with minced garlic and onion.
2. Add shredded chicken and seasonings of your choice
3. Saute for about 5 minutes, remove from stove, then add the Ricotta cheese mix
4. Allow to cool (and proceed to making coxinhas)

Coxinhas:

1. In a large saucepan, add water, milk, stock cubes, potatoes and butter. Heat until simmering, then remove.
2. Add flour all at once, stirring until mixed and smooth.
3. Place mixture on a flat, greased, surface. Knead well and let cool
4. Roll out the dough with your hands
5. Cut a medium-sized circle from the dough.
    Add 1-2 teaspoons of the chicken filling into the middle, then
    close the dough so that it forms a pear or teardrop shape.
    Repeat this with the remaining dough and filling to make the rest of the coxinhas.
6. Brush the coxinhas with beaten egg wash, then coat in breadcrumbs. Then deep fry in hot oil until golden
7. Place cooked coxinhas on a paper towel to drain, then serve.

Cozinhas image by Paul Brighton (Shutterstock)

Tags: Coxinhas, Brazil, Recipe