Right now I am in New Hampshire at my in-laws’ home. My mother-in-law Pat, the source of many of my most favorite recipes, is the queen of not wasting food. If the food isn’t rotten or moldy, she will find a way to use it!

We bought a bunch of pitas down on Cape Cod last week that we never used, so she packed them up and brought the pita bread back to New Hampshire. The pitas just kept getting staler and staler. Pat couldn’t bear to throw them out, so she decided to try making homemade pita chips, served alongside a scrumptious caprese salad.

Why have I never made homemade pita chips before? They were so easy to make and so crazy delicious I couldn’t believe it. They get all crispy but still have some softer spots that make them so much better than anything you can buy at the store. And, seriously, the “recipe” is beyond simple – anyone can make these!

I think I may have found my new addiction. And maybe yours, too. You’re welcome.

Homemade Pita Chips

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• Pita bread
• Olive oil
• Sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425º F.
2. Cut the pita into triangle-shaped, chip-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl.
3. Drizzle pita pieces with olive oil, enough to coat each piece lightly. Sprinkle evenly with sea salt, then toss everything together with your hands to coat evenly and well.
4. Spread pita pieces onto a large baking sheet.
5. Bake until golden brown, about 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pita and your oven. You want them crispy, but it's good to not overook them so you still get a few softer spots.

3.3.3070

I’ve done a few recipe roundups for Cosmo featuring chips of all kinds. While digging around the web looking for chip recipes, I discovered a tip that I had never known before – you can use the microwave to make chips!

I couldn’t believe it. No matter how many blog posts or articles I read about the technique, I just didn’t think the microwave would actually work for making chips. Of course I had to give it a try and, I am here to attest, that this trick works beautifully! You don’t even have to use oil, making these chips healthier than the traditionally fried (or even baked!) variety.

The chips come out really light and crispy. My family loved them, especially Nate and Cate. Nate couldn’t believe they were homemade, let alone cooked in the microwave! You can pretty much use whatever kind of potatoes you like, and you can even use other vegetables, too. I saw plenty of microwave chip recipes out there using foods like sweet potatoes. I haven’t tried anything but potatoes myself, but I think I might have to!

A quick note on the preparation: while you can slice the potato with a sharp knife, I would highly recommend using a mandoline slicer so that your potatoes are all the same thickness. Plus, a mandoline is just plain faster. (If you’re looking for a mandoline, my friend Angie gave me the Chef’n Sleekslice handheld mandoline  as a gift and it’s awesome. It’s easy to use, works great and takes up a lot less cabinet space than the bigger mandolines you normally see. I highly recommend it!)

One more quick note: the process is a little time consuming. It takes a few batches to cook one potato but, while it takes a little time, the process is incredibly easy. Just have a book or a podcast handy while you are cooking!

(>> Find out more…)