Quick Meals

Coxinha (Brazilian Chicken Croquettes That’ll Make You Samba)

3 min

Dump the flour into the boiling broth all at once and stir like you mean it, because the second it stops looking like soup and starts pulling away from the pot in one glossy ball, you've got the dough that makes a coxinha hold its shape. That cooked-flour paste is what separates these from a sad fried lump. The filling stays creamy, the outside cracks, and the teardrop point is mostly for looks (and for grabbing). Plan on shredded chicken you've already cooked and cooled so the assembly line moves.

By Nora Calloway

A little backstory

The name comes from "coxinha," meaning "little thigh" in Portuguese, and the teardrop shape is a nod to a chicken drumstick. The legend usually told is that they were first made for an imperial-era child who would only eat chicken thighs, so a cook stretched the supply by wrapping shredded chicken in dough and shaping each one to mimic a drumstick. It's a charming tale and hard to verify, but the drumstick silhouette stuck, and coxinhas are now a fixture of botecos and birthday parties across Brazil.

Coxinha means “little thigh,” and one bite explains why. These Brazilian street food icons are shaped like chicken legs, filled with savory shredded chicken and melty catupiry cheese, then fried until they look like golden teardrops of joy.

Yes, they’re a project. No, it’s not hard. The dough comes together like a dream, the filling is forgiving, and the crunch is absolutely worth the effort. Make a batch and watch them disappear.

Makes 20-24 coxinhas.

Make the Filling

Sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add shredded chicken, broth, salt, pepper, and parsley. Cook until liquid absorbs. Cool slightly. Mix in cream cheese.

Make the Dough

In a pot, bring chicken broth, butter, and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once. Stir vigorously until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Shape the Coxinhas

Take a small piece of dough (about 2 tablespoons). Flatten into a disc. Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center. Seal into a teardrop shape (pointy at one end).

Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Bread the Coxinhas

Dip each coxinha in beaten egg, then roll in panko.

Fry

Heat oil to 350°F (175°C). Fry 4-5 coxinhas at a time for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Serve

Drain on a wire rack. Serve hot with hot sauce or lime wedges.

Summary

Prep Time: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 20-24 coxinhas

Difficulty: Medium (shaping takes practice)

Storage Notes

Fridge (unfried): Keep breaded coxinhas in the fridge for 1 day. Fry fresh.
Freezer (unfried): Freeze breaded coxinhas on a tray, then bag. Fry from frozen at 350°F for 4-5 minutes.
Reheat (fried): Air fryer at 350°F for 5-6 minutes. Never microwave—soggy sadness.

The Ingredients

Everything you need.

Prep

45 minutes

Cook

15 minutes

Total

1 hour

Yield

20-24 coxinhas

For the Filling:

2 cups cooked shredded chicken
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup cream cheese or catupiry (Brazilian cream cheese)
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, parsley to taste

For the Dough:

2 cups chicken broth
2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt

For Breading + Frying:

2 eggs, beaten
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1
Make the Filling. Make the Filling. Sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add shredded chicken, broth, salt, pepper, and parsley. Cook until liquid absorbs. Cool slightly. Mix in cream cheese. 2 2
2
Make the Dough. Make the Dough. In a pot, bring chicken broth, butter, and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once. Stir vigorously until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 3 3
3
Shape the Coxinhas. Shape the Coxinhas. Take a small piece of dough (about 2 tablespoons). Flatten into a disc. Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center. Seal into a teardrop shape (pointy at one end). Repeat with remaining dough and filling. 4 4
4
Bread the Coxinhas. Bread the Coxinhas. Dip each coxinha in beaten egg, then roll in panko. 5 5
5
Fry. Fry. Heat oil to 350°F (175°C). Fry 4-5 coxinhas at a time for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crispy. 6 6
6
Serve. Serve. Drain on a wire rack. Serve hot with hot sauce or lime wedges

Swaps & Substitutions

Catupiry → a thick cream cheese is the standard stand-in here; let it come to room temperature so it folds into the chicken instead of seizing into clumps.
All-purpose flour → for gluten-free, a 1:1 GF flour blend works but the dough is stickier and tears more, so chill it longer before shaping.
Panko → regular dried breadcrumbs or even fine cornmeal will coat fine; panko just gives a louder crunch.
Salted butter → use it, but cut the added 1/2 teaspoon salt in the dough roughly in half and taste.
Chicken → leftover rotisserie or poached chicken thighs both shred well; breast works but keep extra broth handy so the filling doesn't go dry.
Cream cheese filling → dairy-free folks can skip it and bind the chicken with a spoonful of the cooking broth plus a little dairy-free cream cheese, though the texture is looser.

Questions & Answers

My dough is too sticky to shape. What went wrong?

It usually needs more cooking. Keep stirring over heat until it forms one ball and pulls cleanly from the sides, then let it cool until just warm. Lightly oiled or wet hands also keep it from sticking while you shape.

Can I make coxinhas ahead of time?

Yes. Shape and bread them, then refrigerate up to a day or freeze on a tray before bagging. Fry straight from frozen, just add a minute or two and watch the oil temperature.

Why did mine burst open in the oil?

Either they weren't sealed fully or the oil was too hot. Pinch the seam shut with no filling poking out, and hold the oil near 350F so the outside doesn't brown before the inside sets.

How do I keep the oil at the right temperature?

Use a thermometer and fry only 4 to 5 at a time. Crowding the pot drops the temp fast, which makes them greasy instead of crisp. Let it climb back to 350F between batches.

What's the best way to reheat leftovers?

A 375F oven or air fryer for about 8 to 10 minutes brings the crunch back. The microwave works but the coating goes soft.