The chickpea (sometimes called Garbanzo beans) has been around since Man began cultivating and is a main staple of many diets. Somehow, the lowly chickpea, here in the States, isn’t given the love it deserves.
Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad
Too often, it’s only thought of as an ingredient in hummus (not to knock hummus, which I love – especially this recipe for Ultra Creamy Smooth Hummus) pictured below, when chickpeas have so much more to offer!
About Slow Braised Chickpeas:
Imagine tasting Chickpeas, slowly braised in an herby broth, so delicious and flavorful, that you’ll never want to go back to plain old canned? Admittedly, I still do, and I’m sure you will, too, just because canned chickpeas are so convenient. But canned chickpeas are a pale shadow compared to slow braised chickpeas.
When dried chickpeas are treated lovingly from the start, simmered in herbs and aromatics, they’ll take on the most wonderful flavor – and the chickpeas will be tender, buttery, and rich. They’ll also produce a lovely broth, something you’ll never get from the canned version. Bonus that they’re lower in sodium and less expensive than canned.)
These aren’t necessarily the chickpeas you’ll want to use for hummus (although you could) because these are really something special. When I make these, I can hardly stop eating them. Use them when you really want the flavor and texture of your chickpeas to really shine in a dish. I’ll drop a few links below.
Ultra Creamy Smooth Hummus Israeli Hummus
Making Slow Braised Chickpeas:
You might have guessed from the title that Chickpeas aren’t quick to make from dried, so if you want quicker, check out my Instant Pot Chickpeas. These require a long soak, eight to 12 hours (and a long soak is better for this recipe than a quick one), followed by a gentle simmer on the stove with onion, fresh herbs, and bay leaves, which can take up to an hour and a half.
This dish is excellent with dried herbs, but truly fantastic with fresh. It makes that much of a difference. If you can swing it, use fresh, especially the parsley. (If you don’t want to keep buying parsley, toss the stems you don’t use in a ziploc and put them in the freezer for soups, stocks, and this recipe.)
The Flavorings:
I can’t help but think, if you glance at the recipe, that a little onion, parsley, thyme and a couple of bay leaves (what do bay leaves do, anyway?), that you might wonder why I am raving so much! You’ll just have to trust me…
But given that, it also occurred to me that this same recipe might be used to spin off adaptations. While I haven’t tried any, adding herbs to tweak toward specific cuisines might work. Oregano and a little lemon peel for Greek, or Rosemary and Oregano for Italian, and so on.
Make Ahead or Leftover:
It’s always smart to take a long cooking recipe like this and make extra to transform into other dishes.
- Slow Braised Chickpeas can be refrigerated for three to five days in their cooking liquid. Divide into several containers, cool on the counter, then transfer to the fridge. Always cover after they reach refrigerator temperature.
- Freeze chickpeas, with their liquid, for up to six months in a refrigerator/freezer. They can go a little longer in a deep freeze.
Save time – cook the whole bag and freeze half.
More Hints and Helps:
I found this recipe and slightly adapted it from Food & Wine. Here’s a quick summary of their tips (and some of mine) for the most tender chickpeas:
- Use the freshest dried chickpeas you can find; shop at a place with high turnover if possible.
- The smaller chickpeas are the better choice; they cook up more tender with skins that just about dissolve.
- Soak overnight and don’t use the “quick-soak” method. If you’re worried about fermentation, soak them in the fridge.
- Simmer very slowly. Bring the pot up to a boil and immediately turn it down. Add a little salt, but wait until the beans are tender, about an hour, then continue to cook.
- Taste multiple beans when checking for doneness. If any are undercooked, continue simmering.
- Note: update in 2026. It’s become more popular to use baking soda to soften chickpeas. Don’t use it in this particular recipe. The beans will turn mushy.
Other Recipes You Might Like:
Be sure to use the search for my site or click on the tag for chickpeas at the bottom of the post.
- Favorite Antipasto Salad – this is a classic, and my marinated tomatoes bring a lot to the table. These chickpeas would be a great addition!
Favorite Antipasto Salad
- Spinach Quinoa Salad with Candied Pecans – what can I say? It’s the epitome of a classic Southern chicken salad.
Spinach Quinoa Salad with Candied Pecans
- Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad – A food and wine spinoff published with these chickpeas, pictured above.
Saving Money on Groceries:
What you pay for groceries depends on not just WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.
- The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Think beyond the occasion & use the opportunity to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
- If available, take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality. Be selective when shopping there.
The best way to save money on this or any recipe is to have a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer full of sale-priced items.
Chickpeas:
- Dried Chickpeas are inexpensive, and like any bean, will be on sale, often unadvertised, just before or after a holiday where ham is usually served, Christmas, New Year’s, or Easter. Indian, Middle Eastern, or Latin American markets may have better prices & fresher chickpeas.
- Canned Chickpeas go on sale regularly; if used often, pick up enough to last until the next sale. You’ll find good pricing at the discount stores.
- For comparison, a can is around 15 ounces and holds about 1 1/2 cups of chickpeas. A pound bag, once cooked, yields about 1/4 cup less than 3 cans. A flex is to cook the pound and divide any unused into (close to) 1 1/2 cup portions with some of the liquid and freeze.
Hi! I hope you guys all enjoy this easy Easy Cheesy Breakfast Casserole as much as we have over the years! Forgive me for posting this so late; I’m still on my road to recovery and learning how to pull things together! Hope you all had a Happy Mother’s Day!
Mollie
Slow Braised Chickpeas
Slow Braised Chickpeas
- Prep Time: 6 to 12 hours
- Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
- Total Time: varies
- Yield: 5 1/2 to 6 cups 1x
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried chickpeas (about 2 cups)
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 3 large sprigs flat leaf parsley
- 2 large sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt, as desired (see Conversion Guide)
Instructions
Pick through chickpeas and discard any discolored ones or debris. Rinse well under running water. Place in cooking pot (six quart) and cover by a few inches and soak for six and up to twelve hours. If worried about possible fermentation, soak in the fridge. Longer soaking may result in more split beans.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Return to pot. Add onion and 10 cups of cold water, and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam. Turn the heat down to maintain a very gentle simmer (a few bubbles gently breaking the surface), and when the foam dissipates (a few minutes), add in the herb sprigs and bay leaves.
Continue to simmer until chickpeas are just tender, about an hour. Add salt and gently stir, and cook until the chickpeas are fully tender and creamy on the inside but still retain their shape, 15 to 30 minutes more. Test several to check for doneness.
Drain and reserve liquid, discard herb stems, and let chickpeas and broth cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator in separate airtight containers for up to five days.
Yield: five and a half to six cups of cooked beans plus broth.
Note: these chickpeas can successfully be frozen for several months, in a Ziploc bag with some of the liquid.
I’m posting Slow Braised Chickpeas at Fiesta Friday #88, hosted by Julie @ Hostess At Heart and Liz @ spades, spatulas & spoons.
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