8 May, 2020
Baked Kale Chips
My kids LOVE chips. Sure, they prefer greasy salty chips out of a bag from a gas station and sometimes I’ll get them those chips. But sometimes I’ll make them kale chips! It’s also a great way to sneak in extra veggies disguised as “junk food”.
This recipe is really more of a guide on how to make kale chips. There’s no precise measurements here.
What you’ll need:
Kale – I like to use bagged kale, just because it makes it so much more convenient. It’s already triple washed, cut into bite sized pieces, and dry. Dry is important! If the kale isn’t dry you wind up with steamed kale, instead of crispy kale chips.
Olive oil – just a few tablespoons of olive oil. For this big batch of kale chips I used about 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
Seasoning – You can keep it simple and just season with a little salt. It’s really perfectly fine with just some salt, but a little goes a long way here because these chips shrink up when we bake them. You could also try some chili powder, or garlic and onion powder, or any variety of seasoned salt.
Now let’s get started!
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper spread out your bite sized pieces of kale. I use the baking sheet to measure, because you don’t want to over crowd them. Tear out any hard stems.
Now dump the sheet of kale into a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. While I really don’t use exact measurements here I’d say start out with a tablespoon. And you’ll want to use a spoon for this because free pouring olive oil could quickly turn into a 1/4 cup. Massage the oil into the kale leaves, really get in there with your hands, until all the kale leaves are a little shiney it helps them crisp up in the oven.
Spread them back out on your baking sheet lined with parchment paper and season with salt (*and any other seasonings you wish) just go easy on the seasoning because these shrink up in the oven. You can always add extra seasoning after baking but you can’t take it out.
Bake at 275°f for 20-30 minutes until nice and crisp. I start checking at 20 minutes and then at 5 minute increments. This batch took 30.
Let them cool for just a minute or two before tossing them into a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
