Coxinha

Method

1. 01

   Poach the chicken, and keep the broth35 min

   Thighs into a pot with the water, halved onion, smashed garlic, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt and the peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then drop to a steady simmer and skim the foam for the first 5 minutes.

   Simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until the meat pulls easily from the bone. The broth should smell clean and chicken-forward, not muddy.

   Lift the chicken out. Strain the broth and discard the solids. You need at least 500 ml of clear broth for the dough, plus a splash for the filling. Keep it hot.

   When the meat is cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes, shred it finely with two forks or your fingers. Discard skin, bone and gristle.

   Boil thighs with water, onion, garlic, bay, 1 tsp salt and peppercorns; skim 5 minutes, then simmer 25–30 minutes until meat releases from bone. Strain broth; keep at least 500 ml for dough plus 80 ml for filling hot. Cool chicken about 10 minutes, then shred finely, discarding skin, bones and gristle.

2. 02

   The filling12 min

   Warm the oil or butter over medium. Soften the diced onion 4 to 5 minutes until translucent and sweet-smelling, not browned. Garlic for 45 to 60 seconds until fragrant.

   Tomato paste in, 1 to 2 minutes, until it darkens slightly and loses its raw metallic edge. Then the shredded chicken and 80 ml of broth. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until it looks moist but not soupy — a spoon dragged through should leave a brief trail.

   Off the heat, fold in the parsley, scallion, and the cream cheese if you are using it. Taste and season assertively.

   Cool it completely before shaping. Warm filling steams the dough from the inside and weakens every seal.

   Soften onion in oil or butter over medium 4–5 minutes without browning. Add garlic 45–60 seconds, tomato paste 1–2 minutes, then chicken and 80 ml broth 3–4 minutes until moist, not soupy. Off heat, fold in herbs and optional cheese; season assertively and cool completely.

3. 03

   Mash, dry, and build the dough25 min

   Boil the potato in salted water 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife slips through with no resistance. Drain thoroughly, then return the chunks to the hot dry pot for 1 minute over low heat to drive off surface moisture — wet potato makes slack dough.

   Mash until completely smooth. Lumps become weak spots when you stretch the shell. You should have about 300–320 g.

   In a wide heavy pot over medium heat, bring together the hot broth, butter, salt and optional colour. When the butter melts and the liquid steams, stir in the mashed potato until uniform.

   Boil potatoes in salted water 12–15 minutes until fully tender. Drain, dry in the pot over low heat 1 minute, and mash smooth, yielding about 300–320 g. Heat broth, butter, salt and optional colouring over medium; when steaming, stir in potatoes until uniform.

4. 04

   The flour goes in all at once — this is the moment5–8 min

   All the flour, in one go, and start stirring immediately with a sturdy spoon. Work continuously.

   For the first minute or two it looks lumpy and sticky. Keep going. Around minute 3 or 4 it pulls away from the sides and becomes a single mass that leaves a thin film on the bottom of the pot. Cook another 1 to 2 minutes, turning the mass, to drive off the raw flour taste.

   What you are after: soft play-dough that stretches when pulled — not bread dough that snaps.

   Dry and cracking: splash in 1–2 tbsp hot broth and knead it in off the heat. Still gluey after 5 or 6 minutes: the potato was too wet or the broth ran high — dust with 1–2 tbsp flour and cook a minute more.

   Add flour all at once and stir continuously. Once dough pulls from the sides after 3–4 minutes, turn and cook 1–2 minutes more until elastic. For cracks, knead in 1–2 tbsp hot broth off heat; if still gluey after 5–6 minutes, add 1–2 tbsp flour and cook another minute.

5. 05

   Chill the dough45 min

   Tip it onto a lightly oiled plate or board and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface so no skin forms.

   Chill 45 minutes, until cool enough to handle comfortably and firm enough to shape. Do not skip this — hot dough tears and seals badly.

   Transfer dough to a lightly oiled plate or board and press plastic wrap against its surface. Chill 45 minutes until comfortable to handle and firm enough to shape without tearing.

6. 06

   Shape and seal30–35 min

   Set up a board, a small bowl of water for your fingertips, and a parchment-lined tray. Portion the dough into 24 balls of about 40–45 g, keeping what you are not using covered.

   One at a time: flatten a ball into a disc 8–9 cm across, thicker in the middle than at the edges — about 6–7 mm in the centre, tapering out. Cup it in your non-dominant hand and place a heaping tablespoon, 15–18 g, of cooled filling in the centre. Do not overfill; greed here causes blowouts in the oil.

   Bring the edges up and around, pinching firmly at the top into a teardrop. Rotate as you pinch so the seal is spiral-tight rather than one weak crease. The tip should be pointed but not needle-thin — a fragile spike burns before the body cooks.

   Smooth the body with damp fingertips until no seams show. Thin spots fry darker and leak. If the dough softens as you work, chill the tray for 10 minutes mid-batch.

   Make 24 covered dough balls of 40–45 g. Flatten each to 8–9 cm, with a 6–7 mm centre and thinner edges; fill with 15–18 g cold filling. Rotate and pinch into sealed teardrops; smooth with damp fingers, avoiding thin tips. Chill 10 minutes if softening.

7. 07

   Chill again, then bread20 min chill, 10 min breading

   Twenty minutes in the fridge, unbreaded. Cold pieces hold their silhouette in hot oil and bread more cleanly.

   Then: beaten egg in one shallow bowl, breadcrumbs in another. Roll each coxinha in egg, let the excess drip, and coat thoroughly in crumbs, pressing gently — especially at the tip. For a thicker crust, repeat egg and crumbs once.

   Fry soon, or refrigerate up to 4 hours: uncovered for the first hour, then loosely covered.

   Refrigerate unbreaded pieces 20 minutes. Dip in egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, drain excess and press into fine breadcrumbs, especially at tips; repeat for thicker crust. Fry soon or refrigerate up to 4 hours, uncovered for the first hour, then loosely covered.

8. 08

   Fry, with the thermometer in charge20–25 min in batches

   Heat the oil to 175–180 °C / 347–356 °F.

   Below 165 °C / 329 °F the coating drinks oil and the shell turns pale and greasy. Above 190 °C / 374 °F the crust browns before the dough sets and the tip scorches.

   The oil drops when cold pieces go in, so do not crowd — 4 to 6 at a time depending on the pot, and let it recover between batches.

   Fry 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp when tapped with a spider. Listen for a steady moderate sizzle; frantic sputtering means surface water or oil that is too hot.

   Drain on a wire rack, not on paper towels alone — steam softens the underside. Rest 3 to 4 minutes before serving. The filling is molten.

   Heat 5–6 cm / 2–2½ in oil to 175–180 °C / 347–356 °F. Fry 4–6 pieces per batch for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp; let oil recover between batches. Drain on a rack and rest 3–4 minutes: filling is very hot. Avoid temperatures below 165 °C / 329 °F or above 190 °C / 374 °F: the coating becomes greasy or browns before the dough sets.