You can roast freshly cooked chickpeas or canned chickpeas (well-dried). Either will work though you will get a slightly crunchier result with chickpeas you’ve cooked yourself. I recommend roasting them to a deep golden color for the best texture. (Roasted chickpeas of course will not have the texture of deep-fried, but they are still lovely!) But you can shorten the roasting time a bit if you are using the chickpeas in a salad and don't want super-crunchy texture. I usually roast mine only with kosher salt, but if you want to add spices, I recommend adding them partway through cooking so they don’t burn. Spiced chickpeas made great snacks or nibbles to have with cocktails. Use roasted chickpeas in salads and on soups.
Makes about 3/4 cup
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas, well-dried
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed, peanut or other vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon favorite spice mix (optional)
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, toss the chickpeas with the oil and salt until thoroughly coated. Spread the chickpeas out on the baking sheet and roast until a deep golden brown color, about 25 to 35 minutes. They will be somewhat shrunken. (If you want to add the spices, do some about 20 minutes into cooking and toss well.)
3. Let the chickpeas cool for several minutes. Season with more salt to taste and use as you like.
We always have an Italian treat called Ceci and Favi. They are salted dried Chick pea and Fava Beans. We would sit around the table, have a glass of wine and snack on these delicacies. Great memories from my family!
Annie that sounds so yummy — and a comforting memory, too. Someone in your family is Italian!
Wondering how you store the roasted chickpea’s . Jar in fridge or out? Thanks
Mary, sadly they don’t store very well — either in the fridge or out. Freezing is an option, but for this salad, if you want to make ahead, the best thing is to just leave them on the sheet pan at room temperature until you need them!