Coxinhas

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 ½ kg chicken (breast, leg, wing, whatever you like, but with skin = that’s better)
• 3 liters of water
• 1 large onion(s) (scallion or 3 normal onions)
• Salt
• pepper
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 onions
• 3 tbsp oil
• 3 tomatoes, peeled, pitted
• 1 bunch chives, parsley
• 700 g flour
• 2 eggs
• Breadcrumbs
• 1 liter of oil
• some oregano

Instructions

Working time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours

Brazilian chicken croquettes

It’s best not to buy the chicken whole, but rather buy a package of thighs, wings, and breast separately. Buy enough to make about 1.5 kg. Roughly quarter the large onion (or 3 small ones) and simmer with the chicken (including the skin) in 3 liters of salted water in a large pot for about an hour. Then remove the chicken, remove the skin and bones, and shred with a fork (impatient people can briefly blend it, but that won’t be the original! It should be small fibers). Strain 2 liters of the broth and set aside for the batter. FILLING: Take a large pan and chop the garlic cloves, onion, oil, tomatoes, parsley, oregano, and green olives if you like. Sauté everything (first the garlic and onion, then the rest) until the tomatoes dissolve. Then add the chicken (the fibers) and finally the chives. Don’t skimp on the salt and pepper! DOUGH: Bring the 2 liters of strained stock to a boil and, stirring CONSTANTLY, gradually add the flour. Stir until the dough starts to pull away from the pan. Cook for another 10 minutes at this consistency, stirring and stirring—it’s really hard work. Let the dough cool slightly, and now the torturous part begins: Oil your hands, flatten about 1 tablespoon of dough in your hand, add about 1 tablespoon of filling, and roll/glue it until it’s all used up. Then bread the coxinhas (first in egg, then in breadcrumbs) and fry until golden brown. A finished coxinha looks roughly like an egg, slightly larger, and the pointy end is more pointed. Shaping is hell, but practice makes perfect!