Oven: Crispy Chaat Masala Kale Chips

September 16, 2026

"I LOVE THIS! THE SPICE IS SO GOOD!" 

Exact words from my older daughter. My girls were both home this weekend, and so I thought I’d have some fun with kale. Not just any kale, either. Homegrown, by default organic kale. We live in Chicago, but instead of planting flowers in the large planters on the south side of our city home, I decided to plant herbs and greens. What I did not realize was that I could have opened up my own farmers market stand with the amount of kale that one planter produced. Flowers have struggled in the past, but apparently kale was perfectly comfortable growing in the half sun/half shaded spot — Illinois is filled with funky microclimates, and our house is surrounded by one. I’ve been making salads out of the piles of kale, sautéing them, and now am onto chips. 

My first attempt years ago failed, but I put that uncomfortable memory aside and got to work. The key to crunch, I found out, is really getting rid of any moisture. So after washing my leaves and taking out the hard, middle stem, I wrapped them in a dish towel to dry. It does not have to be perfect, but do the best you can. Only then did I rip the leaves into bit-sized pieces, drizzle them with oil, and sprinkle them with salt and spice. The one to use is either chaat masala or kala namak. Both can take your chips to another taste level entirely. The proof? My younger daughter stole the bowl and devoured most of the first batch by herself in her room to keep it all to herself. Really? 

The crazy thing is that I got a crunch from these chips that I would expect to only get if they were deep-fried. The trick, I realized, is once cooked, let the chips cool completely and be prepared to be amazed. They are great as is or as a garnish on a creamed soup. This weekend’s other recipe test was a tomato-roasted red pepper soup made creamy with cashews — and wow, the combination was out of this world. If you’re in Chicago and want to buy my spices, check out Barbara’s Bookstore in the lower level of Macy’s on State Street. Tell them I sent you!

xoxo Anupy

Oven: Crispy Chaat Masala Kale Chips Prep

Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18–20 minutes
Total Time: 28–30 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale, washed and dried completely
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 pinches chaat masala or kala namak (black salt)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Trim the kale by removing the inner stem and tearing off bite-sized pieces. Drizzle the kale with the olive oil and massage the oil into the leaves.
3. Sprinkle the leaves with the salt and chaat masala or kala namak. Arrange in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, or do what I do and put the kale directly on a cast iron pan that is safe to use in the oven.
4. Cook for 18-20 minutes (no need to flip). Remove from the oven, cool completely, and enjoy. Cooling the chips is very important. They may seem slightly soggy at first, but as they cool, they will crisp up beautifully.

WATCH ME MAKE IT

[[ recipeID=recipe-2mu2sqjfy, title=Oven: Crispy Chaat Masala Kale Chips ]]

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