Chickpea Nuggets

 

I found this recipe for chickpea nuggets on The Kitchn ages ago and finally got around to making it, then posting about it a year and a half later – please clap. It’s actually really good! I served the nuggets with Greek salad (I like it without olives) and a delicious Greek-inspired lemon rice. (The rice is from Minimalist Baker and I will not repost the recipe, because they are being weird about it. By law, a recipe cannot be copyrighted, so it can be shared, while pictures are copyrighted and cannot be shared without permission. But they insist on doing things the other way, allowing people to repost their photos while cracking down on recipe posting. So… just go see the original link, I guess. It’s really good rice!)

½ cup panko or gluten-free breadcrumbs
½ cup rolled oats
1 (15-oz) can garbanzo beans (do not drain)
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375 °F.

Place the panko on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until toasted and golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool while preparing the nuggets. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the oats in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and process into a fine flour. Transfer to a large bowl and reserve the food processor.

Drain the chickpeas over a bowl or measuring cup, then save the chickpeas and ¼ cup of the liquid. Place the chickpeas into the food processor; add the salt, garlic, and onion powder; and pulse until crumbly. Keep mixture in the food processor.

Whisk ¼ cup of the chickpea liquid in a small mixing bowl until foamy. Add the foamy chickpea liquid and ½ cup of the oat flour to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture forms a ball. You may have a little oat flour leftover, which you can add to the chickpea mixture 1 tablespoon at a time if the mixture is loose.

Divide the chickpea mixture into 12 equal portions and shape each one into a nugget. Coat each nugget completely in the toasted panko and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake until crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.