Coxinha Chicken Croquettes

Coxinhas (pronounced Co-sheen-yas) are wee pocket duvets filled with chicken, cream cheese and herbs. These little "drumsticks" are a daily fix for a lot of Brazilians.

Textural, succulent, chicken puffiness, in your hand. They can be served as an entree, or even a main, but really they are best eaten on the run. Unlike most pastries, burgers, and hotdogs, they can be eaten in one hand, leaving the other hand free to drink pick, flick or preen, without fear of a big blob of ketchup landing in your lap.

They freeze well and are also great with a salads. Prep and cooking time is about 3 hours plus an extra day to make excellent home-made chicken stock.

Here's what you'll need to make this delicious snack:

• A chicken, preferably organic
• A carrot
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Onions
• 2 sticks of celery
• Peppercorns
• Parsley stalks
• Water to cover
• 6 tomatoes
• 6 garlic segments
• Juice of 2 lemons
• A cup of cream cheese (Catupiry is best , if not available use Marscapone)
• Qty chopped parsley
• Qty chopped spring onions
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 large knobs of butter
• Oil for deep frying.
• 3 cups of all purpose flour.
• 3 cups of stock
• 2 or 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 3 cups of fine breadcrumbs

Making Coxhinas is a two-day affair. So here's how to get started.

Day One - Take stock

1. Place the whole chicken, carrot, 1 onion, celery, peppercorns, parsley stalks, and bay leaves in a pot. Bring to a simmer, and after 20 minutes or so, turn off the hob. Leave until cooled, and remove the poached chicken only.
2. Remove the white meat from the carcass. Remove the skin. Shred the meat, so you're left with fine strands. Don't throw out the bones or the carcass. Use that to make the stock, so pop that back in with the cooking liquor, and simmer for a few hours.
3. Dip each tomato in the simmering stock for 10 seconds, remove , peel, cut, de-seed, and chop. Throw the tomato peels in to the stock.
4. Finely chop the garlic, remaining onion and parsley.
5. Combine, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and a knob of butter and fry over a medium heat, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add parsley and spring onions at the end of the cooking process, along with the juice of the lemons. Cook for a minute or two, and remove from the heat.
6. Combine with the chicken, mix in cream cheese, season with salt and pepper, taste, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
7. Strain stock, when cool. Pop in the fridge overnight.

Day Two - Have a ball

1. Remove the fat from the top of the stock.
2. Bring stock to the boil, with a knob of butter, reserve the rest of the stock for another day.
3. Add flour, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon, for 2 or 3 minutes until the dough is formed. It will leave the sides of the pan. Add hot stock or flour to adjust if necessary. Remove from the heat.
4. Allow to cool.
5. Mould into wee round balls, and flatten a touch.
6. This is the difficult part. so take your time, and make sure your hands are lightly oiled, so the dough doesn't stick to them and cause problems.
7. Place a piece of dough in the palm of your hand, and with the other hand starting pushing the chicken mix into the middle, so that is eventually surrounded in dough.
8. Shape into something that resembles a chicken leg.
9. Whisk eggs, in a bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. Season both.
10. Dip Coxinhas into the egg wash, and then into the seasoned breadcrumbs.
11. When completed place each Coxinha on a tray and refrigerate, for an hour or so before deep frying.
12. Heat oil, and deep-fry until golden brown. Remove, drain on a paper towel, and eat hot.
13. Good in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. Or freeze the prepared balls, separately, in shrink wrap. Thaw completely, before deep frying.
14. Makes about 24, depending on the size.

Enjoy! These delicious snacks are well worth the time and effort!

For other Brazilian snack ideas visit, tapas from brazil.

Chicken Coxinhas

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