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Rotina Diária

Savory Snacks

Brazilian Chicken Croquettes (Coxinha)

Make Brazilian chicken croquettes (coxinha) with flavorful chicken broth dough, seasoned filling, and a crispy breadcrumb coating. Follow our step-by-step shaping guide.

  • Total time 2 h 30 min
  • Prep time 1 h
  • Cooking 1 h
  • Rest or chill time 30 min
  • Makes about 25 medium coxinhas
  • Difficulty Intermediate

Coxinha dough is cooked in a saucepan, much like a thick wheat-flour porridge. Using the broth from cooking the chicken instead of water gives the dough its flavor. Let it cool before shaping; warm dough will stick and tear.

To shape each coxinha, flatten a ball of dough in your palm into a cup shape and add the filling. Bring the edges up and pinch them closed, then taper the top. Dipping in egg and breadcrumbs creates a crisp coating and keeps the dough from absorbing oil.

Ingredients

Amounts for 25 servings (about 25 medium coxinhas).

Chicken and broth

Filling

Batter

For breading and frying

Equipment

  • Pot
  • Frying pan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Large bowl
  • Colander

Instructions

  1. Step 1 Cook the chicken

    Add the chicken, water, bay leaf, and salt to a pot. Cook over medium heat, partially covered, for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Save the broth and shred the chicken.

    • 1 lb chicken breast
    • 1 liter of water
    • 1 leaf of bay leaf
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    About 25 min

  2. Step 2 Make the filling

    Cook the onion in the oil until softened. Add the garlic, then the shredded chicken. Cook for 5 minutes to let the flavors come together. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream cheese and parsley and green onions.

    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 1 chopped onion
    • 2 cloves of minced garlic
    • 3 tablespoons Brazilian cream cheese
    • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and green onions

    About 10 min

  3. Step 3 Cook the dough

    Bring the broth and butter to a boil. Add all the flour at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the bottom of the pot and forms a ball, about 5 minutes.

    • 2 cups chicken cooking broth
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour

    About 5 min

  4. Step 4 Knead and cool

    Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead while still warm until smooth. Cover with a towel and let cool for 30 minutes.

    About 30 min

  5. Step 5 Shape the coxinhas

    Take a small ball of dough and flatten it in your palm into a cup shape. Add a spoonful of filling, then pinch the dough closed, pulling it upward to form a point.

  6. Step 6 Coat

    Dip each coxinha in beaten egg, then coat well with breadcrumbs.

    • 2 beaten eggs
    • 2 cups breadcrumbs

  7. Step 7 Fry

    Heat the oil to about 180 °C and fry a few coxinhas at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

    • 1 liter of oil for frying

    About 20 min

Tips for success

  • If the dough sticks while shaping, lightly oil your hands.
  • Uncooked, breaded coxinhas can be frozen on a baking sheet. Fry them straight from frozen in slightly cooler oil.
  • If a coxinha splits in the oil, the dough was too thin or the oil was too hot.

Substitutions

Brazilian cream cheese
Catupiry or cream cheese, or leave it out.
Breadcrumbs
Panko breadcrumbs for an extra-crispy coating.

How to store

Once fried, they keep in the refrigerator for 1 day and can be reheated in the oven. Uncooked and breaded, they can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Allergens

Contains: gluten, Dairy, Eggs.

Packaged ingredients may contain traces of other allergens. Always check the labels of the brands you use.

Published October 13, 2026. US measurements: 1 cup = 240 mL, 1 tablespoon = 15 mL, 1 teaspoon = 5 mL; 1 oz = 28 g.