Brazilian Coxinha

To make the filling

Boil the chicken in lightly salted water until well cooked. Remove from pan shred well. Reserve the cooking liquid, passing through sieve and set aside

In another pot, heat a drizzle of oil, and add the onions to release the flavour. Add in the garlic and start to cook. When garlic is slightly golden, add the chicken into the pan with a small bit of water so it doesn't burn. Add the stock cube and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let it cook until the mixture begins to dry out.

At this point, you can add some sauce elements to make it creamy, but not too wet. This could be making a roux with milk/butter and flour, or even some cheese of choice.

To make the dough

Place the water, chicken stock, butter and salt in a pot and heat to boil. Add in the flour all at once. Stir the dough very well, until you break up all the flour lumps. You’ll notice this is a bit of a workout! But you need to keep stirring it very well, to let the dough cook without getting lumpy.

As you stir and the dough cooks, the dough will begin to look homogeneous. You can check if it is cooked by taking a small piece of it and moulding it with your hairs. If it doesn't stick to your hands, it is ready!

Transfer dough to a floured surface, and let it cool a little bit. When cool enough to work with, knead it into a smooth ball.

To roll the Coxinha

Take a piece of the dough in your hand, and form into a circular shape in your pam. Add a spoonful of the chicken in the middle, and press the edges together, forming a conical shape.

Once all of the parcels are ready, you are able to bread and fry the coxinhas. Heat the sunflower oil in a deep pot to between 180°C and 200°C.

Take each Coxinha, and rollin some plain flour, then the beaten egg, and ending with the panko breadcrumbs.

Deep fry the coxinha, turning occasionally to get a nice golden colour. Transfer to kitchen towel lined plate to absorb excess oil before serving. Plate up and serve with your favourite dipping sauces