Brazilian chicken croquettes (Coxinha)

1. Simmer the chicken breast in the stock for 20 minutes, lift out and shred finely with a fork; reserve the stock (measure out 1 litre).

2. Soften the finely chopped onion in oil in a frying pan for 5 minutes, add the garlic, then the chicken and fry for 3 minutes; off the heat stir in the requeijão (plain cream cheese can stand in) and chopped parsley, season with salt and leave to cool.

3. For the dough, bring the 1 litre of stock to the boil with the butter, tip in the flour all at once and beat hard with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan in a smooth ball; turn out into a bowl, cool until lukewarm and knead until smooth.

4. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough, flatten into a disc in your palm, place a teaspoon of filling in the centre and bring the edges up to seal into a teardrop shape – like a chicken thigh, hence the name.

5. Dip the coxinhas in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs.

6. Fry in batches in oil at 175 °C for 4-5 minutes until golden, drain on kitchen paper and serve warm.

Tip: Coxinha is the star of Brazilian "lanchonetes" (snack bars) and a must at every birthday party – the shaped, coated coxinhas can be frozen and fried from frozen.