Can I Bake The Coxinhas?

Our answer

Nigella's Coxinha are a Brazilian dish, similar to a chicken croquette. The word coxinha translates roughly as "little drumstick" and the shape is supposed to resemble a chicken drumstick. Nigella's recipe is for smaller, cocktail-sized coxinhas. The coxinhas are usually deep fried as this gives the crisp, golden coating.

Unfortunately we feel that if the coxinhas are simply baked then the breadcrumbs on the outside will not take on the same colour and the coxinhas will look a little insipid. Instead you could very briefly fry them to colour the breadcrumbs and then finish the coxinhas in the oven. Fry them for around 1 minute (or 30 seconds each side) in slightly hotter oil and drain on kitchen paper. Put the coxinhas on a baking sheet and bake in an oven heated to 180c/160c Fan/350F for around 10 minutes. If you want to serve them later, refrigerate the fried coxinhas as quickly as possible (and within 2 hours of making) for up to 24 hours. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Always check that the coxinhas are piping hot all of the way through before serving.