The Starbucks Brazil Bakery Item We Wish We Had In The US
When companies like Starbucks, go global, they often adapt to the local markets by adding items to the menu that U.S. stores don't carry. In fact, it almost seems as if Starbucks is better everywhere else in the world, especially at holiday time when beverages offered outside the U.S. might include such drinks as Europe's hazelnut crunch hot chocolate or Latin America's red velvet latte. Remember when McDonald's launched its Worldwide Favorites menu in 2019? Yeah, maybe Starbucks needs to do something similar. Unless and until it does, though, add one more entry to the list of menu items we envy: the coxinhas sold by Starbucks in Brazil. These teardrop-shaped chicken croquettes, according to one Redditor, are among the best they've ever had at a cafe.
Apart from Brazilian barbecue, the cuisine of South America's largest country isn't all that well-known in the U.S., but if Brazilian fast food ever catches on here, coxinhas may well be a breakout hit. Another commenter on the aforementioned Reddit thread describes the dish as tasting like a bite-sized chicken pot pie, while others have compared coxinhas to the ever-popular chicken nuggets.
You don't need to go to Brazil to try coxinhas
Just as Starbucks doesn't have a monopoly on coxinhas sold in Brazil (they're quite a popular street food there), neither is that country the only place you can get them. While none of the big chains like Texas de Brazil, Rodizio Grill, Fogo de Chão offer coxinhas as a hot side dish, you can find them at non-chain Brazilian restaurants such as Chicago's Brasil Legal Cafe. They're also on offer at Brazilian bakeries including Golden Bites Coxinha Store in San Diego or Coxinha's Bakery in Orlando, Florida — needless to say, both establishments have their eponymous specialty on the menu at all times.
Your best bet for experiencing coxinhas without a passport, however, may be to make them yourself. While recipes vary, one fairly simple one involves taking cooked, shredded chicken (leftover rotisserie would work) and mixing it with mashed potatoes. Season the mixture with sauteed onions and hot sauce, shape it into teardrops, then dip each one first into flour, then into beaten egg, and finally into finely-crushed breadcrumbs. Fry the croquettes in hot oil, drain them, and eat them. We're not going to add the word "enjoy!" since it's obnoxious to use it as an imperative instead of expressing it as a hope. Still, it seems likely that you will enjoy your homemade coxinhas, since what's not to love about chicken-flavored tater tots?