babble » food » Family Kitchen
Family Kitchen
It’s Easy Eating Green, with Kale Chips
I’ll admit it: kale chips changed my life. Although I do like greens, I don’t eat enough of them. Kale is the harshest of the lot; tougher than chard and spinach, it’s tough to take raw, sucking the moisture out of your mouth if you chew on a leaf straight-up. It’s like, yes – you’re green. You’re good for me. I get it – point taken. Kale is great chopped and wilted into soups, and can withstand a hot skillet or a braise, but beyond that it hasn’t quite earned a regular spot on our market list. Until a few years ago, when a gardener helping us with our container garden tipped us off about kale chips. “They’re as good as potato chips,” she told me. Yeah right. Turns out, they were a revelation.
To make chips, tear kale into bite-sized pieces (make sure it’s dry or it won’t crisp up,) toss about in some canola or olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast until crispy and golden and they smell like popcorn, taste like nutty chips, shattering in your mouth, with none of the tough chew I generally associate with kale. I love it. Now I buy a bunch every chance I get, and most often it’s turned into a batch of chips I can easily down by myself. They aren’t strong enough to withstand dips, but their ruffled edges make them an appealing-looking bowlful of salty snack. Try them – they’ll change your life too. I now look forward to eating more greens.
Kale Chips
1 bunch kale
canola or olive oil, for cooking
good-quality coarse saltPreheat the oven to 400°F.
Wash kale and dry it in a salad spinner or between tea towels. (Extra moisture will keep them from getting nice and crispy.) Cut or pull out the tough stems, tear the leaves into chip-sized pieces and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and toss with your hands to coat well; arrange in a single layer and sprinkle with salt.
Roast for about 10 minutes, until crispy and starting to turn brown on the edges, but not too dark. Serve immediately or cool completely and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Serves 6.
Go Back To Family Kitchen
17 Comments
[...] I gave in to no road food to keep me awake (if you don’t count coffee) – I made some kale chips and a few leftover pork satay with almond butter sauce (which are delicious cold, and great for [...]
Pork Satay with Almond Butter Sauce | dinner with Julie commented on Sep 08 10 at 1:05 amLily commented on Jul 06 10 at 12:38 pmCould you do this with seaweed?
Shannon commented on Jul 06 10 at 2:18 pmThe only thing I would recommend is to watch it CLOSELY. It can burn VERY easily, and then it is absolutely terrible. When I made mine last summer with our farm-share kale, the first time I followed a recipe that said 8 minutes, and it burned to a crisp. After that I did about 5 minutes. I can’t recall the temp right now; it may have been higher than 400 degrees, but just keep in mind that your oven may run hot and you just really need to keep an eye on your batch of kale chips to make sure they come out roasted and tasty rather than charred.
Lorraine commented on Jul 06 10 at 5:17 pmooooohh… can’t wait to try this.
Erin B commented on Jul 07 10 at 12:14 pmSeems to me these would be perfect with Hummus.
Ashley commented on Jul 07 10 at 1:06 pmTurner has totally mastered what we call “crispy kale” since we started the Institutes program. It has SAVED us. Awesome that you’re spreading the word. Go JVR!
Anna@www.tallgrasskitchen.com commented on Jul 07 10 at 10:37 pmYummy – we make these quite a bit. I like the smoother lacianato kale (dinosaur kale). Last time I used a bit of Lawry’s seasoning instead of salt – it was good!
JulieVR commented on Jul 07 10 at 10:39 pmLily – I don’t see why not, although I haven’t tried it myself!
Erin – they would be, but they are far too delicate to be able to scoop dips – kale chips are thin, crisp and shatter in your mouth – and sometimes to the touch!
Janna M commented on Jul 08 10 at 12:19 pmIf you say they are better than potato chips I will have to try them. Do they keep?
One Hungry Mama commented on Jul 08 10 at 12:22 pmI love kale chips. These are great. Some (understandably) think perfect. If you like a little tang, though, as I do, try tossing the kale with a little vinegar, too. That’s how I love ‘em. http://onehungrymama.com/2009/03/kale-chips/
Either way, totally delicious! Thanks for the reminder to make a batch!
JulieVR commented on Jul 08 10 at 12:22 pmKeep? I wouldn’t know…
BETTER than potato chips might be a stretch for some potato chip fans! But I like them as much. And of course they’re far better for you!
Valerie commented on Jul 13 10 at 5:00 pmI’ve seen bags of kale chips for sale at the natural market so I think if you keep them in a sealed container, they should keep.
Cate commented on Oct 16 10 at 9:24 pmAaack… mine did not work… edges burnt and the rest of the leaf was soggy. Any ideas? Poorly calibrated oven? (Wouldn’t shock me). The few that did crisp up were yummy though.
Jasmine commented on Nov 03 10 at 11:47 pmI made these and they were really good. My husband said, ‘this is some crazy molecular gastronomy” the way the texture totally changed in only 8 minutes of baking! My 2 year old even had some… not a lot, but some.
Corinne commented on Jan 03 12 at 5:45 pmPreheat oven? What oven? I don’t have an oven!
Liz Slater commented on Jan 24 12 at 3:22 pmI’ve tried to save them and mine got limp. If anyone else has found a way to keep them, PLEASE SHARE!
JulieVR commented on Jan 24 12 at 3:24 pmUnfortunately they don’t keep.. I’ve never found a way to keep them crispy!
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Kelsey Banfield 
Aggie Goodman 
Brooke McLay 
Angie McGowan 
Paula Jones 
Laura Levy 
Shaina Olmanson 
Kathy Patalsky 
Elizabeth Stark & Brian Campbell 
Julie Van Rosendaal 
Macki West 
Sara O'Donnell 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
17