January 14, 2018 198 Comments

Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

Name: Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 19oz can chickpeas, (drained and rinsed); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 3/4 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves; 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas - one bite is delightfully crispy with a slightly tender inside, the next bite gives a loud satisfying crunch, then fingers must be licked to get all the salty goodness off. Repeat. You're welcome.

Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas are one of my all-time favourite easy salty snacks. There are many recipes for roasted chickpeas floating around but from my recipe testing, many of those recipes resulted in squishy, mushy, or burnt chickpeas, and not crispy crunchy. I'm ALL about the crispy crunchy.

After a lot of recipe testing, I discovered the key to crispy crunchy was to dry roast the chickpeas first so they have a chance to get crispy and then season them at the last minute. Boom! Works every time.

This recipe isn't actually new to It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken. I originally posted it a long, long time ago in my very first year of blogging way back in 2013. See the original ugly old picture ↑↑↑.

Back in the good ol' days when I had zero knowledge of food photography and zero knowledge of recipe writing. I used a phone to take pictures, under regular kitchen lights, on the kitchen floor. I had no ingredient measurements of any kind, and only gave a vague idea of what to actually do as "instructions". My how things have changed. ...I mean, well... I still take my pictures on my kitchen floor, but floor food is "professional", right?

Have any of you been following along since then? Let me know in the comments.

But some of those old "recipes" are still my go-to's, like this one, so it was time these chickpeas got a little facelift. (And by little, I mean some serious surgery to make this crusty old recipe into sparkling tempting deliciousness).

Ahhh there we go. So much better.

These little dudes aren't just for snacking either, they also make for a super yummy crunchy salad topper. Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas are best eaten fresh, as they can get a little soft when stored, but don't worry, I promise you will have no problem polishing them off immediately.

To make Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas:

Spread the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet. It's ok if they are still a bit wet, they will dry out in the oven. Bake 30 minutes, stopping to shake the pan every now and then.

*Make sure you do shake the pan once or twice when the chickpeas are baking, this helps them dry out properly and get crispy.

BONUS TIP: save that aquafaba (the liquid leftover in the can of chickpeas) and use it to make vegan meringues, vegan marshmallow fluff, or vegan confetti cake.

Remove the chickpeas from the oven and carefully add the hot chickpeas to a bowl along with the olive oil, chili powder, thyme, and salt. Toss well to coat the chickpeas evenly.

Spread the seasoned chickpeas back onto the baking sheet and return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes until they are golden and crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit before enjoying. You can snack on them still warm, or completely cooled.

Bon appetegan!

Sam.

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5 from 107 votes