To begin, put the chicken in a large pot with the water and tablespoon salt. Cover and place over high heat. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the broth and place in fridge to cool. Save the broth in the pot and set aside.
Once chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and discard. Shred the meat very finely, using a knife or a food processor. You should have about 2 cups of meat.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the onions and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the seasonings and the chicken and combine well. Turn off heat and set aside.
Bring the pot of broth to a rolling boil, turn off heat and dump in the flour. Stir quickly with a big spoon. Mixture will be lumpy, but try to get all the dry patches of flour incorporated. Once cooled enough to handle, knead the dough for a couple of minutes.
At this point, both filling and dough may be refrigerated over night. Cover the dough tightly so it doesn’t dry out.)
To shape the coxinha, pull off balls of dough about the size of an egg and flatten with your hands to make a circle. Scoop a teaspoon or two of filling into the center and pull the sides up to cover the filling. Pinch and twist the top of the bundle to make a drumstick shape. Place shaped coxinha on a plate.
Once all are shaped, beat the eggs together in a bowl and dip each coxinha in the egg. Roll to coat in crumbs and set aside until all are made.
At this point, coxinha may be refrigerated over night.)
When ready to cook, heat 4 inches of oil to 350ºF. Fry the coxinha a few at a time for just about a minute, until golden brown.
Serve hot, but they are also good at room temperature.
