Brazilian Coxinha (Chicken Croquettes)

Ingredients

• Dough:
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups sifted flour
• 2 medium potatoes
• 3/4 cup oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Filling:
• Chicken
• Tomato
• Onion
• Peas or corn - optional
• Chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil
• Coating:
• Milk
• Crushed crackers

Method

1. Start by boiling the chicken; skim off any foam from the surface, then add aromatics such as parsley, onion, garlic, celery, etc., add a little salt and the two potatoes and keep them on the heat until the chicken is cooked
2. Remove the chicken from the water, take off the bones and shred or pull it into very small pieces; as for the two potatoes, mash them very well
3. Strain the broth and set it aside, then start preparing the filling
4. Finely chop the onion and sauté it in oil over the heat until softened, then add the chopped tomato and sauté for a few minutes
5. Add the chicken, salt and pepper to taste, then the parsley, and stir
6. Set the filling aside and prepare the dough
7. Place 4 cups of the chicken cooking broth over the mashed potatoes and oil in a pot on the heat and stir
8. When they begin to boil, add the flour and stir quickly, continuing to mix until the flour absorbs all the liquid and we have a cohesive dough that does not stick to the bottom of the pot
9. Remove the dough from the pot and knead it for one minute with a mixer or by hand, taking care and using a thick oven mitt because the dough is hot
10. Begin shaping the dough into kibbeh shapes, fill them and seal
11. Dip each coxinha in milk, then in the crushed crackers, and fry them immediately in very hot, deep oil
12. You can freeze the coxinhas in special freezer bags for frying later