Coxinha: Brazil’s Answer to Chicken Nuggets and Drumsticks


What are coxinhas? 

Coxinha (a.k.a. “coxinha de frango” co-SHEEN-ya dee FRAHN-goo, or “coxinha de galinha” co-SHEEN-ya dee ga-LEEN-ya) is a popular Brazilian street food which is a boneless teardrop-shaped croquette containing chicken meat.  It is usually eaten as a snack or appetizer.

In the late 19th century, these savory Brazilian bites were invented because there were not enough chicken thighs to meet demand.  Pieces of dough were filled with chicken meat, shaped into a chicken thigh, then fried to hold its shape.  Coxinha literally translates to “little thigh.”

There are currently many variations of these fried chicken bites which use cheese, corn and other vegetables. Read the full article here. 

Brazilian