São Paulo Feature

Brazilians eat coxinhas (mock chicken legs) as a snack, but you can also try them as an appetizer.

3-pound chicken, cut into pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup rice flour

2 cups milk

1 cup reserved chicken broth

3 egg yolks, beaten

1 tablespoon butter

1 malagueta pepper (or any red chili pepper), finely chopped

4 cups fine bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil for frying

Sauté the chicken in olive oil. Add garlic, onion, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to taste. Cover with water and simmer until done. Remove chicken and reserve 1 cup broth. Take the meat off the bones. Reserve 15 thin strips of chicken and finely chop the remainder. Whisk together the flour, milk, and reserved broth until smooth and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in egg yolks, butter, chicken, and malagueta pepper. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Return to heat and stir until quite thick. Completely cool mixture in refrigerator. Take an amount the size of a large egg and shape it around a reserved strip of chicken, forming an oval dough ball. Roll in bread crumbs, dip into beaten eggs, and cover with another layer of bread crumbs. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.