Best 20 Crispy Kale Recipes

CRISPY ROASTED KALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange 3 oven racks evenly spaced in the oven.
• Lay each kale leaf on a board and, with a small sharp knife, cut out the hard stem. Tear large leaves in half. Place the kale in a large bowl of water and wash it well. Drain the kale and dry it in a salad spinner. Dry the bowl, and put the kale back in the bowl.
• Toss the kale with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Divide the kale among 3 sheet pans or roast them in batches. If you put too much kale on one pan, it will steam rather than roast and will never become crisp. Roast for 15 minutes, until crisp. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and serve hot.

CRISPY KALE "CHIPS"

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes. Serve as finger food.

CRISPY RICE SALAD WITH KALE

Steps:

• Fill a cast-iron pan with 1 1/2 inches oil and heat to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with paper towels and set aside.
• Meanwhile, make your dressing. Combine the garlic and ginger in a large bowl. Add the Thai bird chile. Add 2 tablespoons hot oil from your cast iron into the mixture. Add the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and whisk together. Let the mixture sit while you prepare your other ingredients.
• Add the peanuts to the hot oil and fry until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove and add to the dressing. Mix to coat the peanuts.
• In the same cast-iron pan, scatter the rice in the hot oil and fry until crispy and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the fried rice to the lined sheet tray to drain.
• Add the kale, shallot, cilantro leaves and crispy rice to a large bowl and toss with the peanuts and dressing to taste. Serve immediately.

CRISPY KALE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Meanwhile, flatten kale leaves and use the point of a knife to remove tough center ribs. Stack leaves and roll them together, then slice crosswise into chiffonade strips 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch wide.
• Place kale in a medium bowl. Toss with olive oil, garlic and salt, making sure leaves are well coated with oil. Spread evenly across a large baking sheet.
• Bake, tossing once or twice, until leaves are crispy but not burned, about 5 minutes. Serve as is as a finger food or snack, or top with poached eggs as a breakfast or lunch dish.

CRISPY OVEN-ROASTED KALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, toss the kale with the olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Spread out the kale on a large baking sheet; the kale can be piled up a bit. Bake until a little crispy on the edges but still tender, about 20 minutes.
• Remove the kale from the oven. Squeeze lime juice over the top, grate some Parmesan and serve warm.

CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD WITH CRISPY KALE

Steps:

• To make the dressing, place the egg yolks, garlic and mustard in a bowl and whisk until thick and creamy. Gradually add half the oil, whisking continuously until combined. Gradually add the vinegar and the remaining oil, whisking to combine. Set aside.
• To make the crispy kale, preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Place the kale, oil, parmesan, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat. Place in a single layer on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp, and set aside.
• Brush the chicken with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan or barbecue over high heat. Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Slice the chicken and place in a large bowl. Add the Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach, and pine nuts and toss to combine. Divide between serving plates and top with crispy kale and the dressing to serve.

CRISPY LEMON GARLIC KALE CHIPS

Steps:

• For the chips: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
• Place the kale on a sheet pan in an even layer. Sprinkle the lemon zest and granulated garlic over the kale. Drizzle the oil over the top and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Bake until crisp, about 20 minutes.
• For the dipping sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk the sour cream, buttermilk, lemon juice, cumin, paprika and some salt and pepper until combined. Serve with the kale chips.

CRISPY KALE CHIPS WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the kale in a large bowl and dress very lightly with olive oil so the leaves are barely coated. Season with salt. Spread the leaves out across 2 roasting sheet trays so they aren't stacked up on each other too much. Roast in the oven until crispy but still green, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and dress with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a touch of crushed red pepper flakes.

CRISPY TUSCAN KALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Remove the tough lower stems of the kale. Toss the kale generously with olive oil, salt and crushed red pepper.
• Lay the dressed leaves in a single layer on a sheet tray (use more than one if you need to!) and place in the oven. Roast the kale or until the leaves are crispy, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Serve as a snack or side dish.

CRISPY EVERYTHING KALE CHIPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 and place rack on lower level in oven.
• Mix the optional dry ingredients together. Mix and match to your likings or use all of them.
• Toss the kale, garlic with oil to coat then sprinkle dry ingredients over to coat evenly.
• Spread onto a baking sheet, and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until crispy and brown around the edges. Stirring 1/2 way through. If not crispy cook 5 more minutes till edges are lightly browned.

SHEET-PAN CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA WITH ROASTED POTATOES AND CRISPY KALE

Steps:

• Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 425°F. Arrange chicken cutlets in a single layer on rimmed baking sheet and season with 1/2 tsp. pepper. Place 1 sage leaf on top of each cutlet, then wrap each in 1 slice of prosciutto, starting from the top and wrapping in a single layer, making sure cutlet stays flat.
• Finely chop remaining 4 sage leaves and toss with potatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper on second rimmed baking sheet.
• Cook chicken in upper third of oven and potatoes in lower third until prosciutto is crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of chicken registers 165°F, 12-14 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk anchovies, vinegar, honey, and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a large bowl; add kale and toss to coat.
• Remove both baking sheets from oven; let chicken rest. Spread kale evenly over potatoes and return to upper third of oven. Roast until potatoes are tender and kale is browned at edges, about 5 minutes more.
• Divide chicken among 4 plates. Serve potatoes and kale alongside.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S "FOOLPROOF" CRISPY ROASTED KALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Arrange 3 oven racks evenly spaced on the oven.
• Lay each kale leaf on a board and, with a small sharp knife, cut out the hard stem. Tear leaves in half.
• Place the kale in a large bowl of water and wash it well. Drain the kale and dry it in a salad spinner. Dry the bowl and put the kale back in the bowl.
• Toss the kale with the olive oil, 1 t kosher salt and 1/2 t black pepper.
• Divide the kale among 3 sheet pans or roast them in batches.
• If you put too much kale on one pan, it will steam rather than roast and will never become crisp.
• Roast for 15 minutes, until crisp. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and serve hot.

LAMB CHOPS SCOTTADITO WITH CRISPY KALE

Steps:

• Using a mallet, pound each rib chop to 1/4-inch thickness. Season the chops with salt and pepper.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the anchovy fillets, capers, lemon zest, garlic, sage and 1/2 cup olive oil, and pulse the mixture to form a marinade. Using a rubber spatula, transfer mixture to a large plastic food storage bag or shallow dish. Add the lamb and coat evenly in marinade. Seal the bag or cover the dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 500 degrees and place a rack just above the center. Place the kale leaves in a large mixing bowl and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. With clean hands, toss the leaves, making sure both sides of each piece are lightly coated, adding more oil, about a teaspoon at a time, as necessary. (Alternatively, an oil mister can be used to lightly spray the kale on each side.) Place a large wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and arrange half the leaves on the rack in a single layer, not touching one another, and season with salt and pepper. Roast kale to brown and crispy, about 4 to 5 minutes, then repeat with remaining leaves. Loosely arrange a bed of crispy kale on a serving platter.
• Heat an outdoor grill to high and brush or spray with grapeseed oil. Add the lamb and cook over the high heat for about 4 minutes until charred, then flip and cook until chops are crisp at the edges, another 2 to 3 minutes. (The fire will flare as the fat cooks, so stay close to the grill and shuffle the chops as necessary.) After flipping the lamb to cook on the second side, place the lemon halves on the grill and char until caramelized and browned, about 2 to 4 minutes. (Chops can also be broiled in the oven, on high, about 5 minutes on each side. Lemons can be charred in a grill pan on the stove.)
• Allow the meat to rest on a plate for a few minutes. Arrange the chops on the bed of kale and douse them with the juice of the charred lemons.

LENTIL SOUP WITH CRISPY KALE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add onion, carrots, and chopped mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft, 6 minutes. Add chili powder and tomato paste; cook 30 seconds. Stir in lentils and 6 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in vinegar.
• Meanwhile, toss sliced mushrooms with 1 tablespoon oil, and kale with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread mushrooms on one side of a rimmed baking sheet; roast 10 minutes. Flip. Add kale to other side; roast until both are crisp, about 8 minutes more. Serve soup topped with kale and mushrooms, and drizzled with more oil.

OLD BAY CRISPY KALE CHIPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Remove tough stems from kale and tear leaves into large pieces. Place in a large bowl and toss with olive oil and seasonings. Arrange leaves in a single layer on greased baking sheets. , Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes and then rotate pans. Continue baking until crisp and just starting to brown, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

CRISPY SPICED KALE

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine kale, scallions, spices and salt.
• In another bowl whisk together chickpea flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder. Whisk in the sparkling water. Mixture should have consistency of thick cream. Scrape into bowl with kale mixture and combine thoroughly.
• Pour oil into a wok or wide saucepan to a depth of 3 inches and heat over medium-high heat to 360 to 375 degrees. Set up a sheet pan with a rack on it next to the pan. Cover the rack with a few layers of paper towels. Have a spider or deep fry skimmer handy for removing the kale from the oil.
• Take up the kale mixture by the heaped tablespoon and carefully slide into the hot oil. The mixture should break apart into small pieces. Fry until golden, which shouldn't take much more than a minute, using the spider to flip the pieces over or press them down into the oil once so that all of the batter gets crisped. Using the spider, remove from the oil, allowing excess oil to drip back into the pan, and drain on the towel-covered rack. Sprinkle with salt if desired. Allow to cool slightly and serve.

CRISPY KALE

Steps:

• In a large heavy pot (like a Dutch oven), heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 350 degrees F.
• Thoroughly wash the kale and remove the stems. Tear the leaves up into large bite-size pieces and dry them, either in a salad spinner or on paper towels.
• Drop 5 to7 leaves in the hot oil at a time and fry until the kale is crisp and almost transparent, 60 to 90 seconds. Drain on a wire rack set over paper towels and season with kosher salt while hot.
• Fry the cilantro leaves for a couple of seconds and drain on the same wire rack. Season with a bit more salt. Serve it as a snack or side dish.

CRISPY SOY ROASTED KALE CHIPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk the sesame oil and soy sauce together in a large bowl until the mixture looks creamy. Add the kale and toss to coat.
• Lay about half of the kale out on both baking sheets in a single layer, leaving a little room between leaves. You will need to bake them in batches. Bake in the middle of the oven 6 for 7 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake until the kale is crispy, another 6 to 7 minutes. Gently transfer it to a platter to cool. Repeat for the remaining kale. Serve once cooled.

SOBA NOODLES WITH CRISPY KALE

Steps:

• Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 375°F. Toss kale, coconut, nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large bowl to coat. Divide mixture evenly between 2 rimmed baking sheets and roast, tossing and rotating baking sheets halfway through, until kale is crisp and coconut is golden brown, 15-20 minutes.
• While kale is roasting, cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Shake off any residual water and place noodles in a clean large bowl.
• Combine tahini, soy sauce, honey, 2 tsp. sesame oil, 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, and remaining 1/2 cup olive oil in a small bowl. Finely grate zest from lime directly into bowl; halve lime and squeeze in juice (about 2 Tbsp.). Whisk dressing until smooth, then pour about half of it over noodles; toss to coat.
• Add half of kale mixture to noodles and toss to incorporate. Drizzle in more dressing as needed, tossing until noodles are creamy; season with salt. Pile remaining kale on top. Drizzle with additional sesame oil and sprinkle with more red pepper flakes.

PASTA CARBONARA WITH CRISPY KALE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook penne in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes less than package instructed cooking time, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in the hot oil, 4 to 5 minutes. Add turkey bacon and saute until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon and set aside. Add Swiss chard and kale to the same pan and saute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Crumble bacon, return to the skillet, and reduce heat to low.
• Whisk ricotta cheese, soy milk, eggs, egg yolks, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk reserved pasta water slowly into egg mixture to temper eggs. Remove the skillet from heat and toss in cooked pasta as you pour over the egg mixture; heat from pasta will gently cook eggs and create a sauce. Serve immediately.