Potato-dough chicken thigh coxinha with a cream cheese heart

Method

1. Put the chicken thighs, water, half the onion (in one piece), carrot, bay leaves and part of the salt in a 18 cm pot and bring to the boil on high heat. Skim off the foam, lower to medium-low heat and simmer gently for 12 min.

   Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs 320 gWater (for the broth) 650 mlOnion ½Carrot ½Bay leaves 1Salt 0.4 tsp

   high heat→medium-low heat

2. Peel the potatoes, cut into 3 cm chunks and add them to the same pot. Simmer on medium-low heat for 15 min more, until a knife slides easily into the potato and the chicken shreds easily. Lift both out. Push the potatoes through a ricer or sieve while hot so they are completely smooth, and strain the broth.

   Add in this stepFloury potatoes 240 g

   medium-low heat

3. Shred the chicken finely with forks. Heat the olive oil in a 20 cm frying pan on medium heat, cook the rest of the onion, finely chopped, then add the garlic, tomato paste and smoked paprika and fry until the paste darkens (5 min in total). Add the chicken, pepper, a little salt and 2 tbsp of broth and stir until moist but with no liquid pooling, then turn off the heat, mix in the parsley and spring onions and leave to cool completely.

   Add in this stepOlive oil 1½ tbspOnion ½Garlic cloves 3Tomato paste 2 tspSmoked paprika ½ tspBlack pepper 1 pinchSalt ¼ tspFlat-leaf parsley 6 gSpring onions 2

   medium heat

4. Bring the measured broth, butter, remaining salt and nutmeg to a rolling boil in a 16 cm pot on high heat. Add all the flour at once, turn down to low heat and beat hard, then add the riced potato and keep beating. After 4 min in total, the dough should be smooth, in one mass, and come cleanly off the bottom of the pot.

   Add in this stepChicken poaching broth, strained 140 mlButter 20 gSalt 0.4 tspGround nutmeg 1 pinchPlain flour (for the dough) 100 g

   high heat→low heat

5. Turn the dough onto an oiled worktop, cover with cling film and cool for 10 min, then knead gently and divide into 10 pieces. Press each into an 8 cm disc in your palm, add a spoonful of filling and press 1 tsp of cold cream cheese into the middle of it. Bring the edges together, seal firmly and shape into a teardrop.

   Add in this stepCream cheese or requeijão, cold (for the centre) 80 g

6. Bread them in this order: flour, egg beaten with milk, panko, then egg and panko once more. The double coat gives a crunchier shell and stops the cream cheese leaking. Set them on a tray and chill for 15 min to firm up.

   Add in this stepPlain flour (for dredging) 3 tbspEggs 1Milk 2 tbspPanko breadcrumbs 70 g

7. Pour the frying oil into a deep 18 cm pot, no more than a third full, and heat on medium-high heat for 7 min to 175 °C. Use a thermometer here, turn the handle inwards and keep a lid close by.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil (for deep-frying) 1 L

   medium-high heat

8. Lower the coxinhas in carefully, 3 or 4 at a time, in 3 batches, and fry each batch for 4 min on medium heat, rolling them around. Adjust the heat to keep the oil between 170 and 180 °C. When deep golden, rest them on a rack for 2 minutes before serving; the cream cheese inside is very hot.

   medium heat