Fried Chickpeas

 

 

If you don't like chickpeas, AKA garbanzo beans, I promise you that you will love them fried. I made these for Superbowl Sunday and they were awesome, very similar to peanuts or cornuts! Basically, I adapted an oven roasted, low calorie version I found on Pinterest from the website fitsugar.com and converted it back to high calorie, yummy fatty goodness. (I know, I'm sorry...it had to be done!) 
Here's fitsugar's version:http://www.fitsugar.com/Roasted-Garbanzo-Beans-Chickpeas-Recipe-9136958. Fitsugar's inspiration was to make a low calorie version of the "fried chickpeas" from Nopalito Restaurant.  So I thought, no offense to low calorie snacking, but why fix what's not broken...let's fry these little buggers. It's Superbowl, who needs a low calorie snack, right?

And...Voila! Magic in a fry pan! These were awesome tasting, super easy to prepare and so versatile! Once you fry them up you can season them any way you want. For Superbowl, I made cayenne and ranch seasoned chickpeas from one 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans; cayenne for the adults and ranch for the kids. 
The options are limitless. For instance, just off the top of my head, you can add melted butter and salt like popcorn, or garlic powder and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil and Romano cheese, onion and buttermilk powders with chives, dry Italian dressing seasoning, sriracha and garlic powder, curry powder, etc.

I hope you are inspired to make these super crunchy and delicious chickpeas and experiment with your seasonings. Enjoy!

 

Fried Chickpeas
(adapted from fitsugar.com noting Nopalito Restaurant)

• 1-15oz. can of Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
• Oil for Frying (I used corn oil)
• 2 tsp. seasoning (see below for variations)

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Dry excess water off chickpeas with paper towels. This is important because water will cause the hot oil to splatter, so make sure to dry them well.

Add ~1 inch of oil to a large skillet and turn heat to medium and let oil heat up until hot. Work in small batches, adding about half of the dried chickpeas at a time and fry, stirring occasionally until they are golden, ~15 minutes. Use slotted spoon to transfer fried beans to drain on paper towels.  Season with 1 tsp. of desired topping. Toss, let cool and serve. Repeat with second half of chickpeas and season. :)

Toppings: (Pictured)
Cayenne Pepper Seasoning: (I did not measure the amounts so adjust to your own taste)
Chili Powder, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper and Sea Salt

Ranch Seasoning: 1-2 tsp of dry Ranch Dressing/Dip mix

Other seasoning ideas for fried chickpeas:

• butter and salt
• garlic and freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• oregano, basil and Romano cheese
• onion and buttermilk powder with chives
• dry Italian dressing seasoning
• sriracha and garlic
• curry powder and shaved coconut
• Lime and salt and cayenne