Had to pick between leftover chicken thighs and a random can of chickpeas for dinner

Last night I stared at my fridge for 10 minutes with a half-eaten rotisserie chicken from Monday and a can of chickpeas that's been sitting there since July. I went with the chickpeas because I wanted something quick, tossed them in olive oil and smoked paprika, then baked at 400°F for 25 minutes. They turned out way better than I expected, crunchy on the outside and soft inside, plus I threw in some leftover spinach. Anyone else have a fridge ingredient that surprised you more than you thought it would?

2 comments

2 Comments

shane_wilson11d ago

That 10 minute fridge stare is basically a modern meditation ritual at this point, I do it every Tuesday night. But man, baked chickpeas are a total sleeper hit. I once had a can of black beans that I forgot about for like eight months and I just roasted them with cumin and garlic powder and they turned into these weird little protein nuggets. I ate them straight off the baking sheet standing over the sink. Now I keep a backup can of chickpeas specifically for those nights when the chicken looks sketchy and I don't want to commit to defrosting anything. The smoked paprika move is a solid call, that stuff can make cardboard taste like a campfire.

noah_webb11d ago

Wait, did your friend ever try that with some lime juice and chili powder thrown on? My buddy Ben did that with a can of garbanzos he found in his camping gear and he said it changed his whole outlook on sad fridge nights lol