Zucchini Chips

Zucchini Chips are thin, crispy, oven-baked slices of zucchini that make the perfect healthy snack.



My very favorite indulgent snack is chips.  Wavy, thin, kettle cooked, flavored...I love them all.  Of course I'm talking about potato chips.  Potatoes are my favorite food any way you cook them. I love them and, as I've said time and time again, I'm a salty snacker appetizer kind of girl.

So yeah, potato chips and me?  We're like peas and carrots.

I never, ever, ever thought that I would eat a chip made from a zucchini that would fulfill me like my beloved potato chips.  I mean really, a zucchini?  Baked into a chip? In my mind there was no way, no how, a zucchini chip would ever work out as a satisfying replacement for my potato chips.

Friends, I.WAS.WRONG.



Holy-crispy-salty-addictive-deliciousness, batman.  These zucchini chips were so amazing and my only complaint was that I wanted MORE of them!

As I sat there munching them right off of the pan, I thought to myself, "Girl, you'd better slow down before you finish the whole pan."  Truth be told, my hips don't need any more chips, if you know what I'm saying.  And then I remembered that I was eating zucchini.  Just zucchini brushed with a tiny bit of olive oil, not greasy potatoes fried in oil.

So, you know what I did?  I ate that whole pan.

If you're looking for a way transform your summer zucchini crop into a healthy, whole food, satisfying, salty snack, this recipe is for you!  We made some seasoned with salt and pepper, some with Old Bay, and some garlic parmesan.  Ah-mazing.  I know you'll love them!

Zucchini Chips

   

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.
2. Thinly slice the zucchini.  I used a mandoline slicer and ended up with slices that were about 1/8 inch thick.  You don't want them to be paper thin or they will burn quickly.  If they are too thick, they won't get super crispy.
3. Lay the slices out onto paper towels in a single layer.  Lightly sprinkle with the salt.  Make sure you only use a small amount of salt because when you bake them, the salt flavor will intensify.  Less is more.  Let them sit for about 5 minutes.  You will see  moisture on top of the slices.  Press the zucchini with paper towels to absorb all of the moisture.
4. Transfer the zucchini slices to a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Make sure they are in a single layer and not overlapping.  Using a pastry brush, brush a small amount of olive oil onto the zucchini slices.  Season lightly with seasonings of your choice.  (See Notes for important tips on seasoning.)
5. Bake for 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through the cook time.  If they are not lightly browned at the end of the hour, continue baking until they are browned and crisp, checking every 10 minutes to make sure they don't burn.

Notes

• When you season these before baking, DO NOT use additional salt.  The salt used to pull the moisture out of the zucchini will be more than enough.  I made 3 batches: salt and pepper, garlic parmesan (garlic powder and grated parmesan), and Old Bay.  I loved them all, but our favorite was the garlic parmesan.
• Just remember when baking these, everyone's oven is different.  You might have to cook these a little longer, or a little less than suggested.  Not to mention the fact that the thickness that you slice them will make a difference in the cook time.  Just keep an eye on them and when they are crispy and browned to your liking, they are done!  Not sure if they're done enough?  Just try one and see if they're crispy yet!  I like mine extra browned, but if you don't, take them out when the look good to you. 
• Store in an air-tight container after cooling.  That is, if you have any left!