Saturday, March 24, 2012

Spicy Kale Chips

I put off making kale chips for a long time, because I somehow got the idea that it would be complicated and labor-intensive. I was so wrong! These were wicked easy and took very little hands-on prep.

This recipe came about after browsing a few other, similar recipes online, then throwing in some things I like. I only used 1 tsp of chili powder, and can't even taste the spiciness, so I'm guessing a Tbs is a better place to start if you really want a little kick. Mine also came out a little chewy after 20 minutes of baking, so I recommend trying 25 minutes and seeing how it goes. (I'll also come back and adjust this recipe, next time I make these.)

If you have a salad-spinner whose bowl doesn't have a drain, like mine (which is made by Oxo), you can do almost all the prep right in the bowl.


SPICY, GARLICKY KALE CHIPS

1 bunch of kale, stiff spines cut away and leaves roughly chopped or torn into pieces
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
1 Tbs chili powder
1/4 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
1 Tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place the kale into the bowl of the salad spinner and fill with cold water, then dump into the strainer and spin until thoroughly dry. Lift out strainer and set aside.

Rinse and thoroughly dry the bowl of the spinner. Mix the garlic, chili powder, salt and oil in the bowl until well-blended, then toss in a few leaves of the kale to start getting the oil mixture distributed. Dump in the rest of the kale and toss well until all leaves are coated.

Spread on a baking sheet with edges (or a jelly-roll pan) and bake for 25 minutes in the lower third of the oven, stirring well with a wooden or bamboo spatula a couple of times during baking.

Cool thoroughly, and enjoy!

2 comments:

J. B. Kholodenko said...

Do you think if I baked these in a convection oven it would be good? I was thinking I needed to get a dehydrator gadget to do this right, but maybe just a little extra breeze from the convection fan would solve the chewiness issue.

Unknown said...

That could work! And honestly, I know people who've done this more successfully in a regular oven. I think I just got chicken and didn't bake them long enough.