Crispy Kale Chips

Whenever you have a surplus of kale, making kale chips is an excellent way to make a sizable dent in your pile. Crispy and salty, they make a delicious savoury snack, where one is never enough (until the whole bowl is gone).

We have a number of varieties of kale growing in our garden – cavolo nero or italian, red russian and curly kale. The curly kale is one of the most common types you’ll see sold at the supermarket, identifiable by its tough fibrous middle stalk and tight ruffled leaves. When making kale chips, simply remove the leaves off the middle tough stalk, tear into smaller pieces, season, and then bake in the oven until crispy. They don’t take too long to prepare – from garden to plate, they’ll be ready in less than 20 minutes.

Nutritional Lowdown of Kale

Kale houses a plethora of micronutrients, which are tiny, yet super powerful, nutrients needed in smaller amounts for good health. Out of these, it’s particularly high in vitamin K, critical for blood clotting; vitamin A, great for immunity and skin; and vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, with a single cup of raw kale well exceeding the RDA (recommended daily intake) for each.

Like many leafy greens, given its very low calorie content this makes is one of the most nutrient-dense raw foods you can eat. It is lovely in salads (make sure to “massage” it first to help weaken the fibrous plant walls – google this), in smoothies, or tossed into soups and hearty stews.

Crispy Kale Chips

Author Danijela Armitage

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 12 minutes mins

Rating:

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Ingredients:  

• 1 bunch curly kale (5-6 leaves)
• ½ Tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp sea salt

Method:

• Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
• Tear leaves off the tough middle steam and rip into similar sized pieces. Discard any tough stems.
• Place kale in a large bowl and drizzle over the olive oil and salt. Make sure to rub the oil over each kale leaf to coat evenly.
• Arrange leaves on a lined baking tray, avoiding having them overlap. You may need an extra tray if making a big bunch.
• Cook in oven for around 8-12 minutes (depending on the size of the chips), keeping a close eye from around the 8 minute mark. Remove from oven once crispy and dry. Make sure to remove before they burn – they turn very quickly, so keep an eye on them!
• Let them sit for a few minutes. Enjoy.

Notes:

To avoid average kale chips follow the tips below

Each one has sadly been a lesson for me, and so please learn from my failures (better me than you!):

• When pre-washing your kale make sure to completely dry it before baking, otherwise the moisture may make the chips stem rather than crisp up. So heart-wrenching.
• When tearing the leave up try get them similar sizes – this will help ensure they cook at an even rate.
• Keeping an eye while they’re in the oven as they can burn very quickly. You want them crispy and dry when you remove them, while still retaining colour. I tend to stay close to the oven and watch them like a hawk past the 8 minute mark.