• All ingredients ready? Let's begin!
  

For the dough:

• Heat water in a medium saucepan. Dissolve chicken bouillon cube, then salt.
  
• Add butter and bring water to a boil.
  
• Mix half of the flour into the broth once it’s boiling. Then mix the other half in and knead the dough with a wooden spoon until it peels off of the pan. Poke it with your finger to see if it’s still sticky. If so, cook it while stirring a little longer.
  
• Transfer it to a buttered/oiled cutting board and let it cool. Once cooled, cover it with plastic wrap.
  

For the chicken filling:

• Place chicken breast in a pot, add water about 3 fingers above the chicken, and a pinch of salt. Boil for 12-15 minutes. Remove from water (save the water) and shred chicken using a hand mixer or two forks.
  
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add minced onion and garlic, and sauté until fragrant. Add paprika powder, mix and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  
• Toss shredded chicken in the pan and mix until coated with fragrant oil.
  
• Add chopped parsley and mix.
  
• The chicken will be a bit dry. Now it’s time to add the chicken water and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and reduce until any excess water has evaporated.
  
• Remove from heat and place in a bowl to cool down.
  
• While you wait for it to cool down, knead the dough a bit. It should be a smooth and silky plasticine-like mass. Now you can add cream cheese to the filling and stir until combined. Let it cool before assembling.
  

For frying:

• Place the milk and egg in a bowl, and beat them together. Place the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.
  
• Take some dough in your hands and roll it into a ball. It should be about the size of a golf ball.
• Flatten the dough out, making the edges higher (like a flat bowl plate). Place a tablespoon of filling in the center and close it in with your hands, making the dough pointy at the top (teardrop shaped).
  
• Shape the ball by placing it in one hand and then smoothing out the sides with the palm of your other hand. Go in a circle until the sides are smooth. Make the bottom flat. There’s usually a little extra dough at the tip that should be removed. Don’t worry if they’re not perfect.
• Roll the uncooked croquette in the milk and egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs, and place it on a plate lined with bread crumbs.
  
• Repeat steps 2-6 until you finish the dough, but leave a little bit for testing the frying oil. There may be some filling left, don’t worry, it’s delicious as a chicken salad too!
  

Frying the coxinha:

• Place oil in a medium-sized pot and turn the stove up to medium-high heat.
• Test the oil with a little ball of dough. You don’t want it to be too hot or too cold. Bubbles should come out from the bottom of the dough ball, but it shouldn’t brown too quickly. Fry coxinhas in small batches. Each batch should take 3-4 minutes.
  
• Once golden-brown and crisp, remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.
• Finish cooking and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. You don’t want to burn your mouth.
  
• Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce. Bom apetite!