The first of this week’s guest posts (while I’m on vacation) is from my friend Jani, who we’ve seen several times before on the blog. I quite approve of Jani’s writing style! I also like that she picked a food I’d never heard of before!

Corinne and I go way back, and have enjoyed cooking or baking together for quite a
while now. I’ve made cameo appearances in a couple of posts, but this is my first guest
entry – how exciting!

I was trying to decide what recipe would be worthy of such an honor, and decided on
one of my favorite (but incredibly high maintenance) snacks! Coxinha (pronounced koesheen-yah) is a Brazilian snack food found at most grab-and-eat type counters. They look like little chicken legs and are a perfect mix of fried, doughy deliciousness. Now, buckle up. These little snackaroos take about 2 hours to make, but the recipe yields a TON and they are just as good cooked after being frozen as they are brand new.

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless chicken breast
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 2 chopped cloves of garlic
• 6 tablespoon margarine
• 2 cubes beef bouillon
• salt
• ground pepper
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• bread crumbs
• oil for frying

The recipe calls for putting bouillon, chicken, onions, garlic, margarine, salt and pepper in a pressure cooker. If you don’t have one, you can get the same results by chopping the chicken into 2-inch cubes and cooking the ingredients on the stovetop for about a half hour. When the chicken is cooked through, you’re ready for the next step.

Next, separate the chicken/onions/garlic from the broth. DO NOT POUR THE BROTH DOWN THE DRAIN! You will need it later on in the recipe. I put a strainer into a bowl and carefully separate the chunky stuff from the liquid. You can reuse the pot you just emptied, just make sure you get all of the onions and pieces out before you transfer the broth back into it. Measure out 3 cups of the broth and set it aside – it’s time to mix up the chicken stuffing.
Depending on the texture of chicken you prefer, you can finely chop up the meat or use a
fork to pull it apart. I’ve always used my teeny but trusty food processor – this way, the
onions, garlic and chicken all blend in together and will look sort of like tuna from a can
after it has been smooshed with a fork.

I take a little detour from the original recipe at this point. Rather than waiting to add the
cream cheese, I have found the stuffing tastes better when it is folded into the chopped/pulled/tuna-like chicken.

To make the dough, bring the 3 cups of broth back up to a boil. Again, I detoured from
the recipe. Instead of mixing the 3 cups of flour into the pot and vigorously stirring the
mixture, I pre-measured the flour into my Kitchen Aid mixer armed with the dough
attachment. Once the broth boils, pour it slowly into the mixer while it is running on a
low setting, and turn up the power once all of the broth is poured in. BE CAREFUL –
don’t forget, the broth just came off of the stove. No touchy. Once the dough looks well
mixed, let it sit for a couple of minutes to cool down. It should be very sticky when you
touch it, but easy to make into a squishy ball if you lightly mold it.
You’re about half way done. Can you see why these are only a special treat? For this next
step, you’ll need cooking spray, a rolling pin and a cookie sheet lined with parchment
paper.

Spray your countertop with cooking spray and separate the dough into a workable amount, depending on the amount of space you have. Roll out the dough until it is between 1/4 and a 1/2 inch thick (too little, and the stuffing could fall out, but too much and they’ll be…well…doughy). Cut circles out of the dough depending on the size you want your coxinha to be. If you make your circles about 4 inches in diameter, place a tablespoon of the chicken stuffing into the center and smoosh the edges up and around the filling. Keep rolling it in your hand until you make it look like a little chicken drumstick and place it on the parchment lined cookie sheet.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I ended up with a total of 27 coxinha. If you have extra
filling, I suggest you make yourself a little ‘chicken melt’ sandwich. I’m sure you’ve worked up an appetite by now.

Two more steps. I promise they’re worth it.

Separate 2 eggs, saving the whites in a bowl. In a second bowl, pour in some plain breadcrumbs. Dip each of the coxinha into the egg whites, then bread crumbs, coating
evenly and shaking off the extra crumbs.

If you’re planning on eating them all right away, you’re ready to fry them in vegetable
oil. If not, you can freeze the coxinha and fry them up when frozen – just give them a few
extra minutes. The coxinha should be golden brown on the outside when finished (about 4 minutes if they are room-temp ones, and about 6 minutes if frozen).

CHOW TIME – FINALLY! This crispy, crunchy, doughy, chicken-y goodness is a hit as
a party appetizer or a “its not meal o’clock” snack. Any condiments will do, but I prefer them with a spicy sauce.

Thanks for having me on Spare Cake! I hope you enjoy this little taste of Brazil!

Coxinha

Lightly adapted from CookBrazil.com.

• 3 boneless chicken breasts chopped into 2 inch cubes
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 2 chopped cloves of garlic
• 6 tablespoon margarine
• 2 cubes beef bouillon
• salt
• ground pepper
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• bread crumbs
• oil for frying

Combine bouillon, chicken, onions, garlic, margarine, salt and pepper in a saucepan and cook on the stovetop for about a half hour, until chicken is cooked through.

Next, strain the chicken/onions/garlic from the broth, saving both parts. Measure out 3 cups of the broth and set it aside – it’s time to mix up the chicken stuffing.

Depending on the texture of chicken you prefer, you can finely chop up the meat, pull apart with a fork, or process in a food processor with the strained veggies. Fold in the cream cheese.

To make the dough, bring the 3 cups of broth back up to a boil. Place the flour into a mixer fitted with the dough hook, and slowly pour the boiling broth into the mixer while it is running on a low setting. Turn up the power once all of the broth is poured in. Once the dough looks well mixed, let it sit for a couple of minutes to cool down. It should be very sticky when you touch it, but easy to make into a squishy ball if you lightly mold it.

Set out cooking spray, a rolling pin and a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray your countertop with cooking spray and separate the dough into a workable amount, depending on the amount of space you have. Roll out the dough until it is between 1/4 and a 1/2 inch thick. Cut circles out of the dough depending on the size you want your coxinha to be. If you make your circles about 4 inches in diameter, place a tablespoon of the chicken stuffing into the center and smoosh the edges up and around the filling. Keep rolling it in your hand until you make it look like a little chicken drumstick and place it on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Repeat to use up remaining dough and filling.

Separate 2 eggs, saving the whites in a bowl. In a second bowl, pour in some plain breadcrumbs. Dip each of the coxinha into the egg whites, then bread crumbs, coating evenly and shaking off the extra crumbs.

If you’re planning on eating them all right away, you’re ready to fry them in vegetable oil. If not, you can freeze the coxinha and fry them up when frozen – just give them a few extra minutes. The coxinha should be golden brown on the outside when finished (about 4 minutes if they are room-temp ones, and about 6 minutes if frozen).