Make Ahead

Chimichurri Chickpeas

by:
June  4, 2017
4.6
14 Ratings
Chimichurri Chickpeas
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This salty-crunchy-fresh chickpea salad, which comes together in 10 minutes flat, will make you feel like you're cooking with no actual cooking at all, and it's as flexible as you feel when submerged in the pool.

If you don't have mint or cilantro (or if you only have one), compensate with other herbs. Chimichurri typically includes fresh oregano; you could add a couple tablespoons of just-torn leaves, or a teaspoon or two of the dried herb, or forgo it entirely. Swap out the red wine vinegar for white wine or rice wine vinegar. Maybe this isn't chimichurri anymore, but heck, you've made green sauce.

Mix in cooked grains, sliced snap peas, cucumber chunks, broiled shrimp, roasted fish. In the winter (seriously, can you even remember winter?), you might add boiled broccoli rabe, roasted squash or potatoes, and tears of rotisserie chicken. —Sarah Jampel

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the chimichurri:
  • 1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 cup packed mint
  • 1/2 cup packed cilantro
  • 1 serrano or other hot green chile
  • Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon sherry or white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • For the salad:
  • two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled or cubed
  • 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Toasted or grilled bread and Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)
Directions
  1. For the chimichurri:
  2. To make the chimichurri, combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor. Process until everything is roughly chopped.
  3. Gradually stream in the olive oil, mixing until you have a well-blended sauce. Taste and adjust salt and lime juice levels.
  1. For the salad:
  2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients with the chimichurri (start with only part of it, then add more to your liking). Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Serve over toasted or grilled bread spread with plain Greek yogurt, or mix it with cooked grains, or pile it alongside broiled fish or roasted vegetables.
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    Susan Gill
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24 Reviews

Nancy
Nancy June 19, 2023
This is insane! Its so delicious and easy to make. I did not expect the fabulous reviews it got at our luncheon. Requests for the recipe and all that! I quartered the cherry tomatoes and crushed a bit of the beans to so it would stay on better. We sliced a ciabatta in half and grilled it then cut into serving sizes. The Greek yogurt helps the salad stay on the bread and you can really slather that on. I let this marinate at room temperature for an hour. Perfect ! Also will be nice in a pita pocket!
 
sharskee
sharskee September 8, 2022
This was so easy for a summer dinner and very delicious. My suggestion would be that you should let it sit and marinate at least 15 minutes for flavors to soak into the chickpeas. I added more garlic because I measure that with my heart. I also didn't have feta so I used cotija (similar vibe and very good). You could definitely just eat the salad plain or with some greens. I served it with toasted flatbread.
 
Darian
Darian September 8, 2021
I made the chimichurri with chickpeas and tomatoes, then tossed with farfalle pasta and topped with torn burrata. It was great! It was a quick and easy, fresh summer dinner for a busy weeknight.
 
Sandee S.
Sandee S. September 3, 2021
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I served it with roasted vege and the leftovers with a beef brisket burger. Both amazingly set off by the flavours in this dish.
 
Reiko C.
Reiko C. August 9, 2019
This is absolutely delicious and wonderful, especially at the peak of summer with heirloom tomatoes busting out all over. I happened to have some tzatziki just made and it went perfectly with it. I dumped my chickpeas onto a saute pan and fried them for a bit with good olive oil and grated garlic, maybe a dusting of cumin and it was great. Thank you!
 
abby R.
abby R. June 2, 2019
I made this with a jar of Claudia's brand chimichurri. Fabulous shortcut, great salad!
 
brian R.
brian R. July 22, 2018
This recipe is excellent! Easy, fresh, flavorful, and healthy. I used ricotta on toasted bread with some salt for the base.
 
Natalie W.
Natalie W. July 13, 2018
Made this to go with a steak, sans the bread/yogurt. So tasty, this was perfect on a hot summers day! Next time I am going to add watermelon chunks to it.
 
Susan G.
Susan G. June 24, 2018
If serving as salad, roast the chickpeas. The added crunch elevated this already wonderful dish a notch.
 
kimmorris33
kimmorris33 May 7, 2018
This is amazing- I cannot wait until lunch tomorrow!!
 
Erin H.
Erin H. November 28, 2017
This was even better than I expected! I typically am not a fan of mint, but it wasn’t even noticeable and played well with the parsley/cilantro. I ended up adding the juice of a whole lime and was generous with the red pepper. I also added an extra 1/4 cup of toasted almonds for some extra crunch. I think I found a new go-to recipe!
 
joslin
joslin August 4, 2017
This is so good. Just so good. Made it on a hot, hazy, humid summer night. Decided that Bulgar might be a good grain to go with since the taste is reminiscent of tabbouleh. It was delish, no changes from me at all! Thank you Sarah!
 
Ttrockwood
Ttrockwood July 16, 2017
I used more cilantro and added some chives instead of the mint (i dont like mint in savory food) and then swapped in some good olives instead of feta to make it vegan.
So delicious! Made for a tasty lunch with sturdy crackers one day and then used some ontop of a green salad with avocado for an easy dinner one hot night
 
Chef J.
Chef J. July 10, 2017
I made this for dinner with the grilled bread and yogurt as a base. It is DELICIOUS. Even my meat-eater husband liked it. Such a wonderful, basic recipe that can be varied in so many ways. I better stock up on chickpeas!
 
Sheri
Sheri July 10, 2017
I made this tonight and it was perfect for a summer meal. So good! I served it on toasted bread without any spread and thought it was perfect.
 
Carrie T.
Carrie T. July 9, 2017
Just made this salad and it was delish! I grilled steak and served it sliced on top.
 
Sarah J.
Sarah J. July 9, 2017
So glad you liked it, Carrie!
 
Lesley K.
Lesley K. July 9, 2017
This sounds and looks delicious. It's been 112 degrees here and I'm happy to not heat up the kitchen. I have most all the fixings. Need to get some bread.
 
Amy F.
Amy F. July 9, 2017
How long does is the sauce generally stay okay refrigerated and how long once mixed in with the salad "fixings"? Can the salad marry for a day or so (or more)? How does the equation change if a protein is added (shredded chicken or cooked shrimp), and how much of that could/should be added to the given recipe? I'm thinking of make ahead lunches/dinner... Thanks!!
 
Sarah J.
Sarah J. July 9, 2017
Hi Amy! It should stay totally fine for about 3 or 4 days—it could discolor a bit (though the lime juice should help with that problem). I would leave the tomatoes on the side—cut and add those on the day you're planning to eat the salad, I'd say. And there should be plenty of sauce to coat a handful or two of shredded chicken or cooked shrimp—but if you wanted to make a 1.5x batch of the recipe, there are plenty of ways to use the leftover chimchurri. See here for some ideas! https://food52.com/blog/20002-how-to-make-green-sauce-with-any-green-s-and-no-recipe
 
Jenna
Jenna July 9, 2017
What is the white spread on the bread?
 
Sarah J.
Sarah J. July 9, 2017
Plain Greek yogurt with a bit of olive oil and salt
 
Karen L.
Karen L. July 10, 2017
I wondered the same thing, @Jenna. Why isn't it noted in the recipe? I was confused. Thought it might be the feta.
 
Reiko C.
Reiko C. August 9, 2019
Actually, she does have it in the recipe, at the end with the suggestion to serve atop grilled bread smeared with Greek yogurt.