Once upon a time there was a skeptic. A skeptic that shrugged their nose at the sight or sound of kale. A skeptic that had absolutely no reason to dislike kale. I find myself quite often saying I don’t like a certain food, when in fact, I’ve never actually tried it. It’s sad, really. Sushi? I say I don’t like it, yet I’ve never even tried it. Calamari? Nope, don’t like it. Fried squid? Absolutely not. Although a lot of my “dislikes” stem from certain types of seafoods, I can definitely say that I’m not as adventurous as I probably should be when it comes to trying new foods. I blame my Fear Factor television marathons as a teenager for that one.
So you can probably imagine the look I gave off when I was given a bag of kale at work the other day to take home. Umm…what was I supposed to do with a bag of leafy greens? Well, before I could even sprint out the back door, I was holding a bag of leftover kale and a photocopied recipe of kale chips that the test kitchen had just got done photographing (I work for a food magazine if you’re wondering what I’m talking about). But I carried on my way, knowing that on Monday, I would definitely be asked how my experience was with this mysterious ingredient.
So after a few days of staring at it in my fridge, I decided it was time to figure out what all this hype was all about. I whipped out that photocopied recipe and gave it a go. I quickly tore off the leafs from the stems, drizzled on some olive oil, sprinkled on some salt, and added in a few cloves of garlic. So quick in fact, that I completely missed the part in the recipe where it says to “place the kale on a wire rack” over a baking tray. The smoke billowing from my oven taught me to never do that again.
I thought all hope was lost. The kale chips were to be burnt and I would have to go back into work on Monday and tell the kitchen of professional food stylists of my fail-kale-tales. But soon after calming down the smoke, I realized that I had not actually burnt them. And that, my friends, is when the seas officially parted.
What awaited me admist the smoke filled kitchen  was a pleasant surprise. Even this skeptic was pleasantly shocked. The kale chips were absolutely delicious. The combination of the garlic, lemon, and salt made these little greens a savory treat.
Garlic & Lemon Kale Chips
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of fresh kale 12 ounces
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1/4 of a fresh lemon
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet.
-
Remove and throw away the thick stems from the kale. Tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Rinse kale to clean and dry before transferring to bowl.
-
In a large bowl combine kale, oil, salt, and garlic. Place on top of wire rack (over cookie sheet just in case oil drips).
-
Bake for 15 minutes. Stir gently while in oven and continue to bake for 2-3 minutes. Be sure to watch the kale to make sure it does not burn.
-
Once dry & crisp, take out of oven and drizzle with lemon juice. Serve warm or store in airtight container to save.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Nutrition
Susan says
Ok, I’ve wondered about kale chips. How could they be all that good? But you’ve got me willing to give it a try. Thanks for sharing at Inspire Us Thursday.
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
Wow, you really made those to perfection! I typically BURN MY KALE to a crisp! LOL!
Jo-Anna says
These look absolutely delish! I love kale but have never tried the chips! This looks like a great recipe!
Krista @ joyfulhealthyeats says
ok, true confession. I have never had Kale, but this Kale recipe actually sounds delicious! Loving your blog and pictures… you have convinced me to follow you. :) {drew me in girl!} I hope you have a great rest of the day. Glad I found ya.
Mimi says
I think the idea of kale chips sounds exciting! I might try this soon.
Jess says
I’ve made Kale Chips before, but not like this!! how delicious!
Noelle (@singerinkitchen) says
These look fantastic! I made some 2 days ago but these sound better!
Niku says
I feel like sometimes you have this uncanny ability to read my mind with your recipe posts! I was literally thinking about making this exact same thing yesterday – lemon and all! I am pinning this! Thank you!
Nicole @ Culinary Cool says
You know, I’m in the same boat as you. In fact, I just made kale chips for the first time last night and loved them! I drizzled mine with garlic olive oil and sprinkled them with bacon maple smoked sea salt. Super scrumptious!
Melissa says
I was definitely surprised by how much I like them, as well! I’ve never had bacon maple smoked sea salt, but now I’m intrigued by it. Sounds good!