Snack · Fried

Coxinha (Chicken Croquette)

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Shaped like a chicken drumstick, even though there's no bone inside.

Shredded chicken wrapped in a teardrop-shaped dough shell, breaded and deep-fried, sold from bakeries and beach vendors across Brazil.

Why it's made this way: Its origin is unclear: one popular legend says it was invented in the 1800s for a child of Princess Isabel who would only eat chicken thighs, while food historians link it to São Paulo's early industrial era, when it was a cheap substitute for fried drumsticks.