Why Was My Coxinha Dough Too Wet?

Our answer

Nigella's Coxinha is a recipe for Brazilian chicken croquettes. Shredded cooked chicken is bound with a bechamel-type dough, formed into pear-shaped balls then crumb coated and deep fried. The name "coxinha" comes from the shape of the croquettes, as they resemble mini chicken drumsticks.

The dough is made from a combination of chicken stock, milk and plain (all-purpose) flour. The normal ratio for coxinhas is to have liquid that is twice the metric weight of the flour (or in US cups equal volumes of flour and liquid). This recipe has slightly more flour than liquid (750g liquid plus 50g of butter giving a total of 800g vs 450g flour). So it should produce a fairly stiff dough. Usually you can add some extra flour if the dough is too soft, either by beating the flour into the dough in the pan or kneading it in if the dough has cooled. If the dough is very runny it could be that it has not been cooked enough for the starches in the flour to fully absorb the liquid. It may be that the heat was not high enough or that the dough was not cooked for long enough. Increase the heat under the pan slightly once the flour has been added and then you may need to cook the dough for longer. The dough should become stiffer and harder to mix the longer it cooks. The dough will also become slightly firmer as it cools.