Coxinha — Teardrop Chicken Croquettes

Ingredients

• 12 oz chicken thighs
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups flour
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 oz cream cheese
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 1 pinch smoked paprika
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups fine breadcrumbs
• Neutral oil for deep-frying, salt, and pepper

Method

1. Poach the chicken in the stock until it reaches 165°F, about 15 minutes. Shred finely, reserving all the stock, and mix with sautéed onion and garlic, cream cheese, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper.
2. Bring 2½ cups of the reserved stock and the butter to a boil, then dump in the flour all at once and stir hard over the heat until a smooth dough pulls away from the pot, 2–3 minutes. Cool until handleable.
3. Knead the warm dough briefly until satiny. Pinch off golf balls, flatten into cups, fill each with a spoonful of chicken, and pinch closed into the classic teardrop, smoothing seams with damp fingers.
4. Dip each coxinha in beaten egg, then breadcrumbs, coating the point especially well — it browns first and tells everyone how careful you were.
5. Fry in 350°F (175°C) oil in batches until deep amber, 4–5 minutes. Drain on a rack, rest 5 minutes, and serve hot; they freeze beautifully un-fried.