Spiced Chickpea Salad With Tahini and Pita Chips
Updated June 9, 2024
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKPEAS
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, well drained, or 4 cups cooked chickpeas
¾ to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin, or 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground coriander
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Salt and pepper
FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE
⅓ cup tahini
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
Warm water, as needed
TO FINISH
Olive oil, for cooking
About 10 ounces kale, chard or spinach, well washed and thick stems removed
3 cups store-bought or homemade pita chips (see Tip)
Handful of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Handful of roughly chopped mint
1 large or 2 small cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
Lemon, cut into wedges
Nutritional analysis per serving
97 grams carbs; 1111 calories; 45 grams monosaturated fat; 14 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 73 grams fat; 26 grams fiber; 1123 milligrams sodium; 30 grams protein; 14 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the chickpeas: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour the chickpeas into a small baking dish, about 6 inches by 8 inches. The chickpeas should be crowded together in a thick layer, not spread out. Pour in olive oil just until chickpeas are covered. (This will look like a lot, but don’t worry: It forms part of the dressing.)
- Step 2
Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and 2 big pinches each of salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Bake until oil is bubbling around the chickpeas and they are turning reddish-brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, make tahini sauce: Pour tahini into a bowl and whisk in lemon juice and garlic. The tahini will thicken and clump. Slowly whisk in warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce becomes smooth, creamy and pourable. Taste and season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. Set aside.
- Step 4
Cook the greens: Place a large frying pan over medium heat and drizzle lightly with olive oil. When hot, add the greens in batches, along with a big pinch of salt. Stir until wilted and tender and set aside.
- Step 5
When ready to serve, in a large bowl, gently mix chickpeas and their cooking oil with the cooked greens, half the pita chips, and the chopped herbs. Mound chickpea mixture in 4 shallow bowls. Divide cucumber slices around chickpeas. Drizzle thickly with half the tahini sauce and scatter remaining pita chips on top. Place a lemon wedge on the side and serve, passing extra tahini sauce at the table.
It’s easy to make pita chips from stale pita bread. Cut each round into triangles like a pie and separate the top and bottom layers. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it ripples, add the pita triangles and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. Reduce the heat as needed to prevent scorching.
Private Notes
Comments
add tomatoes, pepper, and feta, zatar seasoning
Excellent salad, we loved the flavors and texture. I made the short cut version with salad greens (red leaf and baby spinach), and did not bake the chickpeas with so much oil. I was in a rush, and sauteed the chickpeas with 2 tbsp of olive oil and the cumin, coriander and paprika until warm and fragrant, and dumped that onto the greens, added the cucumber and pita chips, tahini sauce, and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon. So good, we will certainly make this again.
Next time I would just add the greens directly to the chick peas in mid cooking. Don’t think there’s any need for another pan. But it was delicious
This looked good on paper but there was so much oil that I drained the chickpeas and the spices went with it. The salad was still very greasy. I know oil (especially olive oil) is good for you but this was way too much.
The salad is great but the chickpeas alone are amazing. I make double or triple batches and keep them in the freezer in meal-sized portions and add them to salads, or on a bed of whipped feta-herbs-lemons, or on top of roasted vegetables, you name it. Don’t skimp on the oil.
Made this tonight with modifications. Cut the oil to about half a cup for the chickpeas as well as adding smoked paprika to the spice mix. Added more lemon juice along with sumac and lemon zest to the dressing. Roasted sweet potatoes to add. And left the greens raw. Delish, although could have actually used a bit more oil. We really enjoyed this and will make again.