homemade crispy chickpea nuggets
No, they do not taste like chicken. They are chickpeas, which are legumes, which are not chicken. Doesn’t make them any less delicious, though.
Now that I’ve dissolved that expectation, let’s talk chickpea nuggets.
My mom doesn’t remember, but a few years ago she made chickpea nuggets on Christmas Eve for me as part of our massive appetizer spread. Like the dumbass I am, I dipped them in hummus. Chickpeas on chickpeas. I suppose that isn’t the worst thing, but regardless, a little weird.
Anyway, I really liked them, and then immediately forgot they existed. Until I racked my brain to think of Christmastime recipes, and the chickpea nugget flew back into my frontal cortex. Probably not the correct anatomical analogy, but you get my point. I pulled it out of my ass, in layman’s terms.
I do love a good plant-based nugget and sometimes buy the frozen versions, which are usually some combination of soy protein or seitan and random fillers. Since I use chickpeas so often and make meatballs out the wazoo nowadays, I thought a good ole nibble with my favorite not-actually-a-pea would curb the cravings of many a vegetarian who dreams of the days of childhood finger food. I know I do sometimes.
I don’t want anyone to think these are JUST LIKE MEAT. What I do want you to appreciate is how well-seasoned, crisp, and tasty they are as their own entity. A bevy of herbs and spices gives the chickpeas a depth of flavor many renditions are missing, and a little secret dredge helps coat the bites is also helpful in creating and more well-rounded nugget.
Ready to get your snack on?
A Hug in a Nug’
First note: dry your chickpeas well after draining them. A lot of excess moisture creates a soggy nugget, which isn’t ideal.
Second note: one of my ingredients is adobo seasoning. I truly think this is key to lending a flavor that is similarish to seasoned chicken. Very easy to find in grocery stores either in the spice aisle or by the Latin cuisine.
Third note: there isn’t one. Just wanted to ensure I had your attention.
Prepping the chickpea nuggets is as easy as chucking a bunch of shit in your food processor and pressing blend. Two cans of chickies, egg, parmesan, a seasoning blend of adobo, sage, garlic, onion, and oregano, and a pinch of pepper. I omit salt from the nugget because adobo and parmesan both have a good amount.
The texture you want is mostly smooth, but with some small nubs. No whole chickpeas, as that’ll cause your nuggets to break. Think of it like a ground meat texture.
Crispy Wispy
The secret ingredient I referenced above is pickle or olive brine. Yup, that juice from your jar of vinegary cucumbers. I’ve seen chicken nugget recipes using it and apparently that’s one of Chick-Fil-A’s trade secrets, so I incorporated it here as a dredge.
All you need to do is form a nugget-esque shape, a rough rectangle or circle, and dip into the brine before pressing the nugget in some seasoned panko breadcrumbs. Lay the nugget on a lightly greased baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the batter.
Spray or drizzle the nuggets with oil and bake at high temperature until crisp and golden. The high oven temp is very important for browning the breadcrumbs, else they’ll just be whitey mcwhite and much less crunchy.
Pile these babies on a platter and serve hot. They will lose some of their crisp as they cool, so gobble them up quick. If you need to reheat, a quick 10 minute or so trip in a 350 degree oven helps.
Now, the sauces. My favorite part. You can choose many a sauce for the job, but my favorites are always honey mustard and ranch. I put some ketchup out because I know that’s popular even though I kinda hate ketchup. HOT TAKE. Sweet chili and buffalo sauce are also rad ideas, or Caesar even. Love me a good Caesar.
Definitely baking these up for Christmas Eve to share, and they’ll be a good choice for younguns too. I’d imagine no little kid will resist getting their hands all over some sticky chickpea batter. My idea of a good time.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
How to be a sweet chickypea:
Easy Spicy Chickpea Noodle Soup
Garlic Butter Chickpea Meatballs with Wild Rice Pilaf
homemade crispy chickpea nuggets
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan, grated
- 2 tsp adobo seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup pickle or olive brine
- 1 cup panko-style breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- ketchup, honey mustard, and/or ranch dressing, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
- In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, parmesan, adobo, garlic, onion, oregano, sage, egg, and a pinch of pepper. I do not add salt because I find the adobo and parmesan salty enough. Blitz until smooth – some small chunks are okay.
- Toss the breadcrumbs with the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Form the batter into a nugget shape and dip into the pickle brine, then gently press into the breadcrumbs to adhere until coated. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Lightly spray or drizzle the tops of the nuggets with oil. Bake for 12-15 minutes, turning once halfway through, until crisped on both sides. Serve immediately with ranch, ketchup, or honey mustard, as desired.
