12 Ways to Cook Chickpeas That Everyone Will Like

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you have not tried these unusual and delicious dishes, you have lost a lot.

These dishes can be prepared with both canned chickpeas and dry ones. In the first case, cooking takes less time, but self-boiled chickpeas are more aromatic and tasty.

If the recipe requires soaked chickpeas, then the dry chickpeas must first be soaked in cold water overnight. If you need boiled chickpeas, then after soaking, you need to drain the water from it, rinse it, fill it with clean water and cook over low heat for 1, 5–2 hours.

Please note: after soaking, the chickpeas will approximately double. So the weight of dry chickpeas should be half the specified amount of soaked or boiled chickpeas.

1. Chicken stew with chickpeas and dried apricots

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs;
• salt to taste;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil;
• 1 onion;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 400 g of tomato pulp;
• 150 g of soaked chickpeas;
• 80 g dried apricots;
• 120 ml chicken broth or water;
• 1 tablespoon honey.

Preparation

Cut the chicken thighs in half and rub the spices on all sides. Heat some oil over medium-high heat in a deep skillet or baking dish. Fry the chicken for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Then transfer to a plate.

Pour the remaining oil into the skillet. Place the sliced onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped garlic and spices and cook for another minute for flavor. Then add tomato pulp, chickpeas, dried apricots, cut in half, broth or water and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir in the fried chicken.

Cover and place in the oven preheated to 180 ° C for 45 minutes. The chicken should be soft. Serve with couscous, rice, or any other side dish of your choice.

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2. Stew with pork, chickpeas and vegetables

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 500 g of pork pulp;
• 1 red onion;
• 2 celery stalks;
• 3 carrots;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• salt to taste;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• 400 g of chopped tomatoes in their own juice;
• 250 ml chicken broth or water;
• 150 g of soaked chickpeas;
• 2 tablespoons of raisins.

Preparation

Heat half the oil in a skillet over high heat. Cut the pork into large cubes and cook for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally, until the meat is browned on all sides. Transfer the pork to a large baking dish.

Cut the onion into thin half rings, the celery into small cubes and the carrots into thin slices. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet and add the vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until tender.

Add ginger and spices, stir and fry for another minute. Then add the tomatoes, broth or water, chickpeas and raisins and bring to a boil.

Pour the vegetable sauce over the pork, cover and bake in the oven at 180 ° C for 1.5 hours, until the meat is tender. Serve the stew with boiled vegetables, couscous, or another side dish of your choice.

What to cook with pork: 10 original recipes from Jamie Oliver →

3. Chicken soup with chickpeas and vegetables

Ingredients

• 200 g of soaked chickpeas;
• 2 chicken drumsticks;
• 1 onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 celery stalk;
• ½ red bell pepper;
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• a few sprigs of parsley;
• salt to taste;
• ground black pepper - to taste.

Preparation

Rinse the chickpeas, transfer to a saucepan and cover with clean water. Cook for half an hour over low heat. Then add the chicken to the chickpeas and cook for about 30 minutes more.

Meanwhile, cut the onion into half rings and the rest of the vegetables into cubes. Heat oil in a skillet and brown onions and carrots. Add celery and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the peppers to the vegetables and fry for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the drumsticks from the pan, separate the meat from the bones, chop coarsely and put back. Add the vegetable fry to the broth and bring the soup to a boil. Add chopped parsley, spices and, if necessary, some water. Stir, remove from heat, cover and leave for another 15 minutes.

You can find a few more recipes for chickpea soups in this article:

10 simple vegetable soups that are not inferior to meat soups →

4. Vegetable curry with chickpeas

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion;
• 2 green chili peppers
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 small head of cauliflower
• 400 g cherry tomatoes;
• 120 ml of water;
• 250 g boiled or canned chickpeas;
• 200 g green beans;
• a few sprigs of cilantro;
• salt to taste;
• ground black pepper - to taste.

Preparation

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place onion sliced in half rings and fry until golden brown. Cut the chili in half, remove the seeds and chop finely. Grind the cumin lightly in a mortar. Add chili, cumin, finely chopped garlic, coriander and turmeric to the onions. Stir and cook for another minute.

Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place the halved tomatoes and cauliflower in the skillet and add the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook, covered, for about 6 minutes. Add the chickpeas and green beans and simmer, covered, for about 3 minutes.

Add chopped herbs, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Serve curry with rice or another side dish of your choice.

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5. Frittata with salmon, chickpeas and lemon

Ingredients

• 400 g salmon fillet without skin and bones;
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt to taste;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• 8 eggs;
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 2 lemons;
• 200 g of boiled or canned chickpeas;
• 120 g ricotta;
• a few sprigs of cilantro.

Preparation

Brush the salmon fillet with a tablespoon of oil and rub with salt and pepper. Place the fish in a preheated skillet and sauté over high heat for 1–2 minutes on each side. Salmon should not be completely cooked through. Place the fish on a plate and dry the pan with a paper towel.

Whisk eggs in a bowl, add cumin, salt, pepper, chopped garlic and grated zest of two lemons and mix well. Then add the dry chickpeas, crumbled ricotta and cilantro, leaving a couple of twigs to garnish, and stir gently.

Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over high heat and brush the bottom and sides with it. Pour in the egg mixture and cook over moderate heat for about 10 minutes. Cut fish into small pieces and place on frittata.

Place the pan in an oven preheated to 180 ° C for a few minutes. Sprinkle the frittata with cilantro leaves before serving.

How to cook any frittata without a recipe →

6. Stuffed peppers with beef, chickpeas and rice

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion;
• 250 g ground beef;
• salt to taste;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• ½ teaspoon of ground allspice;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 150 g boiled or canned chickpeas;
• ½ bunch of parsley;
• 200 g of rice;
• ½ teaspoon of paprika;
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste;
• 650 ml of water;
• 6 large bell peppers.

Preparation

Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the finely chopped onion in it until golden brown. Add the meat to the onion and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally until browned. Add seasoning, minced garlic and chickpeas without liquid and cook for a few more minutes.

Then add chopped parsley, rice soaked in water for 10-15 minutes, paprika and tomato paste and mix well. Pour in 500 ml of water and cook until the amount of liquid is halved. Reduce heat, cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Cut off the tops of the peppers, remove the seeds and fill the vegetables with the filling. Pour the remaining water into a deep baking dish and place the peppers with the filling facing up. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven preheated to 180 ° C for 20-30 minutes.

7 unusual recipes for stuffed peppers →

7. Pilaf with chickpeas and lamb

Ingredients

• 2 onions;
• a few tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• 800 g of lamb pulp;
• 5-6 carrots;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 1 red chili
• 200 g of soaked chickpeas;
• salt to taste;
• 600 g brown rice;
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin

Preparation

Slice the onion into rings. In a deep skillet with thick sides or in a cauldron, heat the oil over high heat and fry the onion on it until dark golden brown. Place the coarsely diced meat to the onion. Fry for about 8 minutes, turning the slices occasionally.

Cut the carrots into small thick strips, add to the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes. Then pour in the water so that it completely covers the lamb. Peel the garlic. Add whole garlic and chili to the skillet.

Add chickpeas and salt. It is better to put more of it, as the rice will absorb some of the salt. Add a little more water to cover the ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes. Take out the garlic and pepper, add the rice, previously soaked in water for half an hour, and cook until the water evaporates.

Place the garlic and chili in the rice and sprinkle with the cumin. Cook covered over low heat for another 30 minutes. Stir the pilaf before serving.

How to cook real pilaf: secrets and rules you can't do without →

8. Chickpea cutlets with herbs

Ingredients

• 1 onion;
• a few tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• 200 g boiled chickpeas;
• salt to taste;
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper;
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ bunch of parsley;
• ½ bunch of dill;
• 1 egg;
• 50–70 g bread crumbs.

Preparation

Cut the onion into small cubes and fry in hot oil until golden brown. Grind the chickpeas in a blender until smooth. Combine it with onions, spices, chopped herbs, and an egg. You can add other spices to your taste.

Form cutlets from the resulting mass and roll in breadcrumbs on both sides. Fry the patties in hot oil for a few minutes on both sides, turning occasionally until they are golden brown.

The main secrets and recipes for delicious homemade cutlets →

9. Salad with chickpeas, pepper and feta cheese

Ingredients

• ½ small red onion;
• 1 red bell pepper;
• 1 green bell pepper;
• 1 yellow bell pepper;
• 1 cucumber;
• 100 g feta cheese;
• 1 bunch of parsley;
• 300 g of boiled or canned chickpeas;
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper;
• salt to taste.

Preparation

Cut the onion into small cubes and cover with cold water. This will remove unnecessary bitterness. Dice the rest of the vegetables and chop the parsley. Combine chickpeas with pepper, cucumber, herbs and crumbled feta.

For dressing, combine oil, vinegar, minced garlic and spices. Add the onion, dressing to the main ingredients and mix the salad well.

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10. Pita with falafel and tzatziki sauce

Ingredients

• 300 g of boiled or canned chickpeas;
• 4 cloves of garlic;
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt to taste;
• ½ bunch of parsley;
• 2 lemons;
• 2-4 tablespoons of flour;
• 50–70 g bread crumbs;
• vegetable oil - for frying;
• 200 g low fat sour cream or Greek yogurt;
• 1 small cucumber;
• a few sprigs of dill;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• 2-4 pits;
• a few lettuce leaves;
• 1-2 tomatoes;
• 1 red onion.

Preparation

Place the chickpeas, 3 garlic cloves, cumin, salt, chopped parsley, and 1 lemon zest in a blender and chop. You should have a small crumb. Add flour to this mass and mix well.

Form balls 3–5 cm in diameter and roll in breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a deep skillet. There should be enough oil so that the chickpea balls can float in it. Put them in hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides. Transfer the falafel to a paper towel to drain off the grease.

For the sauce, combine sour cream or yogurt, chopped garlic clove, finely grated cucumber, chopped dill, salt, pepper, and the remaining lemon zest. Cut each pita in half and open. Brush the inside of them with sauce, put inside lettuce, tomato slices, onion rings and a few falafels each.

RECIPES: Healthy Baked Falafel →

11. Chocolate hummus

Ingredients

• 100 g of peanuts or other nuts;
• 4 dried dates;
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 200 g boiled chickpeas;
• 1 tablespoon honey.

Preparation

Grind nuts, dates, cocoa and cinnamon in a blender. Add chickpeas in portions and beat until smooth. If the dish turns out to be dry, pour in a little broth, in which the chickpeas were cooked. Then add honey and mix well.

Store hummus in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. It can be used as a cake cream or for making sweet sandwiches. And you can also dip fruits in it.

A simple hummus recipe that will keep your health →

12. Flourless orange chickpea cake

Ingredients

• 450 g of boiled or canned chickpeas;
• 4 eggs;
• 150 g icing sugar + 2 teaspoons;
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1 orange;
• some vegetable oil.

Preparation

Drain the liquid from the chickpea and rub it between your palms to remove the skin. If the chickpeas are boiled, rinse them with cold water to avoid scalding. Grind the chickpeas in a blender until smooth.

Combine chickpea puree with beaten eggs, 150 g icing sugar, baking powder, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, and grated zest and juice of a whole orange. Grease a baking dish with butter and place the dough in it.

Bake at 180 ° C for an hour. After baking, open the oven and leave the cake there for another 10 minutes. Combine the remaining powdered sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle with this mixture on the cake before serving.

RECIPES: Diet Brownie with Chickpeas →