Coxa-creme de frango (Crusted Chicken Legs)

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The “crusted chicken leg” is a fried coated chicken leg – depending on the size of the chicken leg it is almost a meal in itself. It is a version of a popular appetizer – the Hen Thigh, and was introduced in 1975 to the Vienna Restaurant menu, a well known food brand in Brazil. The “crusted chicken legs” are today very widespread in Brazil and there are many versions of this recipe.

Ingredients
Chicken broth ingredients:
• 5 large skinless chicken legs
• carrot, celery, parsley, onion, garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 liter of water
Crust ingredients:
• 750 ml hot chicken broth
• 75 g butter
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• a pinch of sugar
• black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
For the coating:
• 1 egg
• a pinch of salt
• breadcrumbs
• frying oil

Preparation method

1. Make the broth: combine all of the broth ingredients in a saucepan and cook until chicken legs are done. Allow the broth to cool down and pass it through a strainer. Reserve the broth for the pastry and remove the cartilage from the proximal end of the chicken legs.
2. Make the crust (similar to choux pastry without eggs) in a heavy-bottomed saucepan: melt the butter, add flour and mix well. Add the broth to the mixture a little at a time, stir vigorously and cook for about 3 minutes. If if there are lumps in the pastry you can use the mixer to remove them. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and parsley. The pastry should have a thick, smooth and flexible consistency.
3. Allow to cool down a little. Then use a spoon to make 5 portions of pastry and arrange them on a greased work surface, ensuring that they are well separated from each other.
4. Place one leg at the center of each portion of pastry, then cover each one with the remaining pastry.
5. Grease your hands and shape the “chicken legs”, leaving the bone clean.
6. Pass them in the beaten egg with a pinch of salt and coat with bread crumbs.
7. Deep fry in hot oil until they are golden brown. To reach the right temperature put a toothpick into the oil and wait until small bubles form. Remove and transfer to paper towels to remove excess oil.
8. Bake the “crusted chicken legs” in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes before serving.
   Note: this recipe can be made with chicken wings and served as a snack.

Yield: 5 servings.

Posted on: 06 April 2014