Move Over Kale Chips, Bok Choy Chips are Next!
Oct 17, 2014, Updated Aug 12, 2017
Kale chips?
Sooooo two-thousand and eight.
Google “kale chip recipes” and in less than half a second, you’ll get 1,900,000 results. (Go ahead, I’ll wait while you do this. I have half a second to spare.)
So, at any given moment, whether it’s National Kale Day or not, you and two million other individuals are baking kale chips and feeling virtuous because you haven’t opened a bag of greasy potato chips, which very well might have some questionable additives in the ingredient list. (Go ahead, I’ll wait while you consult the bag of contraband chips in your pantry to prove this.)
So let’s break out of the kale chip rut, shall we, and move on to the next trendy, nutritious, leafy green.
Yep, we’re lookin’ at YOU, baby bok choy!
If you haven’t fully embraced baby bok choy, your time is now. Smaller, cuter, a bit milder and naturally sweeter than its larger cousin, full-size bok choy, it has delicate leaves with crunchy celery-like stems, with appealing texture variations. Any food that is both crunchy and yielding in the same bite is A-OK in my book.
It’s also one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables on the planet, with abundant calcium, iron, Vitamins A, C and K, folate and B6. Fat-free and extremely low in sodium, it has only two grams of carbohydrates per serving.
Slice it and use in a stir-fry, add it raw to salads, whirl it in with your morning green smoothie, and chip-ify it if you dare.
I dared, and you should, too.
Bok Choy Chips
Ingredients
- 2 heads baby bok choy
- ½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Few grains sea salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325F degrees. Cut bottoms off bok choy leaves, leaving the green tops. If leaves are large, tear leaves in half. (Reserve stems for another use, in a fresh salad or stir-fry.)
- Place leaves in a large mixing bowl. Add the barest whisper of olive oil and stir – just enough to lightly coat the leaves, but not make them soggy. Place leaves in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet, spreading leaves out if they are folded. Using your thumb and forefinger, sift a few grains of salt over the leaves. Truly, just a few grains. (If you are having trouble picturing what I mean, think of what Matthew McConaughey is doing with his fingers in those new car commercials.)
- Bake for about 6 minutes. Remove tray from oven and remove any individual chips that are crispy and done. Those that have more stem on them may need another minute or so back in the oven. Watch closely.
- Remove and allow chips to cool (5 minutes). Place on a serving platter and enjoy!
Nutrition
Dorothy Reinhold is the publisher, food writer, photographer and recipe developer at Shockingly Delicious, where she posts terrific, tried-and-true, scrumptious, “scary good” recipes with big flavors. She has been named one of the Top 50 Mom Food Bloggers by Mom.me, a Top 100 Food Blog by Babble.com, and PBS’s NextAvenue declared her one of the 25 best food blogs for baby boomers. She’s been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Sunset Magazine, Taste of Home magazine, on Yahoo Shine and has written for Huffington Post, America Online, Foothills Magazine, and has had a 20-plus-year food column in Southern California newspapers. You can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Carb count, serving size?calories?
HI Paige – As a matter of policy, I no longer provide nutrition information on my site… I’ve come to realize that focusing on nutrients and numbers is generally less helpful than simply focusing on eating a wide variety of real, whole, unprocessed foods. Additionally, it’s impossible to provide accurate information here anyway, since there are so many variables and often cooks at home will adjust ingredient quantities (or there’s just natural variation in sizes – how big is a head of bok choy?), or even ingredient types. I’ve found it’s better just to avoid the numbers altogether, and again, just eat real food. I think Michael Pollan said it best: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”) Of course, there are quite a few online nutrition calculators, and you could certainly plug in the recipe to get their results. Either way, I hope you enjoy Dorothy’s Bok Choy Chips!… Read more »
I just made this and my husband and I ate them the minute they were ready! I’ve never had success with kale chips but these will become a snack we enjoy often. Love them! Thank you!!!
Beth,
I am so glad you like them! That’s great to hear, and thanks for letting me know!
How long do these chips last? Would they be able to sit out for 4 hours for a food demonstration or do they need to be eaten immediately?
Meghan,
Honestly, we ate them right up. They didn’t even sit around for half an hour. They are delicate, so I think they would probably absorb moisture from the air and not be crisp after 4 hours. I think it would depend on your environment (humidity, temp, etc.). I would give it a test run before leaving them out for 4 hours, so if they don’t perform to your liking, you wouldn’t be disappointed.
Try them!
Never bought it because I didn’t know what to do with it – now I do! Thanks!
Sherry,
Baby bok choy is most often stir-fried (so try that, too!), or you can slice in half horizontally and give it a quick grill. Try these chips! We loved ’em.
I love baby bok choy! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Great Carrie! Since you already like baby bok, I predict this will ring your chimes!
Love this bok choy inspiration plus your story! Smile on my face.
Delighted to make you smile Letty! I know you’re going to try these, since you love greens of all kinds.
Thank goodness for this idea and recipe. I do not like kale in any way, but I do like bok choy and it’s babies. I will definitely be making BC chips this weekend. And Dorothy? Your “…I’ll wait…” asides are prrrrfect. And your McConaughey reference – very topical, very clever! Thank you for your humor and your recipe.
Jennifer,
I am happy to amuse. Try this! If you don’t like kale, I’m betting you WILL like these!