Air fryer chickpea nuggets
Crunchy, golden, garlicky chickpea nuggets made from two cans of chickpeas and air-fried until crisp, with honey mustard for dipping, a dinner that picky eaters actually ask for.
- 35 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.18 a serving
- 410 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs, divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cups baby carrots (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 410 calories, 17 g protein, 58 g carbs and 13 g fat, and costs about $1.18 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No honey? Maple syrup works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Mash the chickpeas in a big bowl with a potato masher or fork until mostly smooth, with a few small pieces left.
Mix in ½ cup panko, the egg, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt until it holds together when squeezed.
Dolly’s tip: Too sticky? Add another spoonful of panko.Scoop tablespoons, press them into little nugget shapes, and roll them in the rest of the panko.
Heaping. Heaping means a rounded mound piled above the rim of the spoon or cup, not leveled off. It’s a little more than the measure, on purpose.
How you’ll know: The pile sits above the edge of the spoon, and you leave it there instead of scraping it flat.
Dolly’s tip: Damp hands keep the mix from sticking to your fingers.Brush the nuggets all over with the oil.
Air fry at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway, until deep and . Work in batches.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 11 min
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Stir the honey and mustard together for dipping and serve with the nuggets and carrots.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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