Coxinha, street food from Brazil: what it is and how it is eaten

Coxinha is a popular Brazilian snack from São Paulo, shaped like a chicken drumstick and filled with shredded chicken, sometimes with cheese. The filling is wrapped in a wheat flour dough, battered, coated in bread crumbs, and deep-fried until golden. It is usually eaten hot as a snack throughout Brazil.

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Coxinha is shaped like a chicken drumstick
The dough is made with wheat flour and chicken broth
It is filled with shredded chicken and sometimes cheese
Coxinha is deep-fried and eaten hot
Popular throughout Brazil as a snack

What is Coxinha?

Coxinha is a savoury snack from Brazil, shaped to look like a chicken drumstick. The outside is a golden, crisp shell made from wheat flour dough, often mixed with chicken broth for extra flavor. Inside, it holds a filling of shredded chicken, sometimes blended with cheese such as requeijão or catupiry, and seasoned with onions, parsley, and scallions. The snack is battered, rolled in bread crumbs, and deep-fried, resulting in a crunchy exterior and a soft, savory interior. Its teardrop shape is distinctive and meant to recall a chicken leg.

Where does Coxinha come from?

Coxinha comes from São Paulo, Brazil, and is said to have first appeared in the 19th century, possibly in the city of Limeira. Its name means 'little thigh', reflecting both its shape and its original use of chicken meat. A story tells of a royal child who would only eat chicken drumsticks, prompting a cook to shape dough and chicken into drumstick forms. Over time, coxinha became a widespread snack across Brazil, especially in the southeast.

How is Coxinha made?

To make coxinha, a dough is prepared from wheat flour and chicken broth, sometimes with mashed potato added. The dough is wrapped around a filling of shredded, seasoned chicken, often mixed with cheese and herbs. The filled dough is shaped into a teardrop or drumstick, dipped in batter, coated with bread crumbs or manioc flour, and deep-fried until crisp and golden. The dough's flavor is enhanced by using the broth from cooking the chicken.

Feijoada à brasileira. Photo: Bradleyzm, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Coxinhas que ainda não foram fritas em óleo.. Photo: André, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How and when is Coxinha eaten?

Coxinha is eaten hot, usually as a snack, and is common in bakeries, cafes, and street stalls throughout Brazil. It is picked up by hand and often enjoyed with coffee or soft drinks. While it is an everyday snack, it can also be served at parties and gatherings. There are no special accompaniments required, but it may be served alongside other salgados (savory snacks).

Kinds of Coxinha

There are many versions of coxinha. In Minas Gerais, coxinha mineira includes maize in the filling. Cheese-filled coxinhas are popular in snack bars, sometimes marked with a toothpick where the bone would be. In Curitiba, local versions may use cheddar and Araucaria nuts. Home cooks experiment with fillings like peas, mushrooms, heart of palm, jackfruit, or even vegetarian versions using soy protein or falafel. These less common types are rarely found in commercial snack bars.

What Coxinha means

Coxinha is a staple of Brazilian snack culture and is especially associated with São Paulo. It is a familiar sight at gatherings, parties, and as a quick bite on the go. The word 'coxinha' has also entered Brazilian slang, used to describe people with a certain conservative or conventional style. Its iconic shape and popularity make it one of the best-known Brazilian snacks.

Questions people ask about Coxinha

What is coxinha made of?

Coxinha is made from a wheat flour dough, often mixed with chicken broth, and filled with shredded chicken, sometimes with cheese, onions, parsley, and scallions. The filled dough is battered, coated in bread crumbs, and deep-fried.

Where does coxinha come from?

Coxinha comes from São Paulo, Brazil, and is believed to have originated in the 19th century, possibly in the city of Limeira. It is now popular throughout Brazil.

What does coxinha look like?

Coxinha is shaped like a teardrop or chicken drumstick, with a golden, crisp exterior from being deep-fried. Its shape is meant to resemble a chicken leg.

How is coxinha usually eaten?

Coxinha is eaten hot as a snack, often picked up by hand. It is commonly found in bakeries, cafes, and street stalls across Brazil, and is also served at parties and gatherings.

Are there vegetarian versions of coxinha?

Yes, some home cooks make vegetarian coxinhas using fillings like soy protein, falafel, jackfruit, or heart of palm, but these are rarely found in commercial snack bars.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Coxinha", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and it is not dietary or allergy advice: recipes differ from cook to cook. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.

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