Crunchy Salty Sweet

I clearly love chickpea stews and curries! Even in the heat of the summer, nothing is better than a comforting bowl of a soup, and even better when it’s garnished with creamy & crunchy toppings!

This chickpea stew can be made in just about an hour (with most of that time being hands-off simmering time), and makes 4 large servings.

Feel free to scale back on the red pepper flakes and/or jalapeño to fit your own spice preference.

I hope you give this chickpea stew a try. Enjoy!!

Vegan note: I included ground chicken in this stew, but you can easily omit and add a second can of chickpeas to make up for the lost volume.

Vegan note: Use soy sauce in place of fish sauce

In a large stockpot over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic, onion, ginger, and jalapeño. Sprinkle with turmeric, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is slightly softened.

Add the drained chickpeas and cook for about 10 minutes. Smash the chickpeas with a spatula or potato masher. You want about half of them mashed and half still whole.

To the pot, add in the ground chicken, if using (skip to the next step if not). Sauté for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Add the coconut milk and chicken/veggie stock. Stir in the fish sauce or soy sauce.

Add in your greens, fresh or frozen.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 40 minutes or until the stew has thickened to your liking. The stew will get thicker the longer it simmers.

Serve, garnished with something crunchy (I used crumbled tortilla chips), lime, yogurt, scallions, and a sprinkle of turmeric. A splash of hot sauce would be great too!

Note: You could also serve this atop some rice or quinoa to make it a bit more filling.

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Adapted from: New York Times Cooking

Makes: 4 servings

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 65 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, diced
• 1 small (or 1/2 large) jalapeño, diced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (use 30 oz if omitting chicken)
• 16 oz ground chicken, optional
• 15 oz full-fat coconut milk
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 3 cups frozen greens or 1 bunch of fresh greens, like kale or chard (I used frozen kale/spinach blend)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or soy sauce)
• Lime, for serving
• Plain yogurt, for serving
• Scallions, for serving
• A crunchy topping, for serving (something like: tortilla chips, croutons, roasted chickpeas)

In a large stockpot over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic, onion, ginger, and jalapeño. Sprinkle with turmeric, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is slightly softened.

Add the drained chickpeas and cook for about 10 minutes. Smash the chickpeas with a spatula or potato masher. You want about half of them mashed and half still whole.

To the pot, add in the ground chicken, if using (skip to the next step if not). Sauté for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Add the coconut milk and chicken/veggie stock. Stir in the fish sauce or soy sauce.

Add in your greens (fresh or frozen).

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 40 minutes or until the stew has thickened to your liking. The stew will get thicker the longer it simmers.

Serve, garnished with reserved chickpeas, lime, yogurt, scallions, and a sprinkle of turmeric. A splash of hot sauce would be great too!

Note: You could also serve this atop some rice or quinoa to make it a bit more filling.