Chicken & Catupiry Stuffed Pancakes

Ingredients

Pancake batter (makes 8–10)

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
• 1/4 cup neutral oil (or melted butter)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional) or oregano

Chicken filling

• 500g chicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 200g tomato sauce (or 2 ripe tomatoes, blended)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or scallions

Catupiry and topping

• 200g catupiry (Brazilian creamy requeijão; substitute cream cheese loosened with a splash of milk)
• 120g mozzarella, shredded
• 30g parmesan, grated
• Oregano to finish

Instructions

Step 1 — Batter (5 min + 15 min rest)

1. Blend everything: Add the eggs, milk, cornstarch, oil and salt to a blender and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Stir in the parsley if using.
2. Rest the batter: Let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. This hydrates the starch so the pancakes turn out tender and pliable, not rubbery.

A rested batter should have the consistency of light cream. If it thickened too much while resting, loosen it with a splash of milk.

Step 2 — Cook the pancakes (15 min)

1. Heat the pan: Warm a non-stick skillet (about 20cm) over medium heat and wipe it with a lightly oiled paper towel.
2. Cook each pancake: Pour in a small ladle of batter and swirl to coat the base in a thin layer. Cook for ~1 minute until the edges lift, flip, and cook 30 seconds more. Stack on a plate and repeat. You should get 8–10 pancakes.

Step 3 — Chicken filling (15 min)

1. Build the base: Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
2. Add the chicken: Stir in the shredded chicken, tomato sauce and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes until the mixture is creamy and most of the liquid has reduced. Stir in the parsley and turn off the heat.

The filling should be moist but not soupy — if it's runny it will leak from the pancakes while baking.

Step 4 — Assemble (10 min)

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F and lightly grease a baking dish.
2. Fill each pancake: Lay a pancake flat, spread a spoonful of chicken filling down the center, then add a teaspoon of catupiry on top. Roll it up snugly and place seam-side down in the dish. Repeat with the rest.
3. Top it: Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the rolls, dot with the remaining catupiry, then scatter the mozzarella and parmesan on top.

Step 5 — Bake (15 min)

1. Bake: Slide the dish into the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
2. Serve: Finish with a pinch of oregano and serve hot, with rice or a green salad on the side.

Tips

Poach the chicken breast in salted water with a bay leaf and half an onion, then shred it with two forks — or pull apart a store-bought rotisserie chicken to skip this step entirely.

• Make the pancakes and filling ahead and refrigerate; assemble and bake just before serving
• Catupiry is the authentic choice, but a good cream cheese loosened with milk gets you most of the way there
• Swap the tomato topping for a quick white sauce (béchamel) if you prefer a milder, creamier dish
• The rolls freeze well before baking — freeze on a tray, then bake straight from frozen, adding ~10 minutes
• A spoonful of corn or a handful of chopped olives in the filling is a very Brazilian touch