Besan Chilla with Paneer Stuffing
Savory chickpea flour pancakes enriched with eggs and Greek yogurt, stuffed with spiced paneer. A naturally gluten-free, protein-dense Indian breakfast.
Besan chilla is essentially a high-protein, gluten-free pancake made from chickpea flour. If you haven't tried it, you're missing out. It's one of the best vehicles for protein I've found, and it takes about fifteen minutes start to finish.
I discovered the protein potential of besan when I started reading nutrition labels more carefully. Chickpea flour has nearly double the protein of regular wheat flour. But a traditional chilla still only hits about 10-12g of protein. Not enough for a real breakfast. So I rebuilt it, added beaten eggs directly into the batter for structure and protein, mixed in Greek yogurt for tang and an extra boost, and packed in a generous paneer stuffing instead of the usual light sprinkle.
Now each chilla delivers 25g of protein, and it's still naturally gluten-free. This is my weekend breakfast ritual. I'll make a few of these, eat them with green chutney, and I'm set until lunch.
The Protein Upgrade
A traditional besan chilla delivers about 10-12g of protein from the chickpea flour alone. We enriched the batter with beaten eggs and Greek yogurt (both add protein while improving texture), and packed a generous 8oz of spiced paneer inside. From 10-12g to 25g, more than double the protein, and it's still naturally gluten-free.
Besan Chilla with Paneer Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups besan (chickpea flour) 8g protein
- 2 large eggs (beaten into the batter) 3g protein
- ½ cup Greek yogurt (mixed into batter) 2g protein
- ½ cup water (approximately, for batter consistency)
- 8 oz paneer (crumbled, for stuffing) 14g protein
- 1 small onion (finely diced)
- 1 green chili (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp salt (divided between batter and stuffing)
- 2 tbsp oil (for cooking)
- ½ cup green chutney (for serving)
Instructions
- Make the batter: Whisk together besan, beaten eggs, Greek yogurt, turmeric, half the salt, and enough water to make a smooth, pourable batter (like thin pancake batter). Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Prepare the filling: Mix crumbled paneer with half the diced onion, green chili, coriander powder, chili powder, and remaining salt.
- Stir the remaining onion, cumin seeds, and cilantro into the batter.
- Heat a non-stick pan or tawa over medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil.
- Pour a ladleful of batter and quickly spread it into a thin circle (about 6-7 inches).
- Cook for 2 minutes until the bottom is golden and edges start to lift.
- Place a generous portion of the paneer filling on one half of the chilla.
- Fold the other half over the filling and press gently. Cook for another minute on each side.
- Serve hot with green chutney.
Boost Your Protein
- Serve with a side of Greek yogurt for an extra 5g protein.
- Increase paneer filling to 12oz for an extra 5g protein per serving.
- Add hemp seeds to the batter for an extra 3g protein per serving.
Ingredient Substitutions
- No besan (chickpea flour)? Use a mix of lentil flour or oat flour.
- No paneer? Use crumbled firm tofu or halloumi.
- No green chutney? Use a quick blend of cilantro, mint, green chili, and lemon juice.
- Swap oil for ghee for a richer, more traditional flavor.
