BBQ Chickpea Tacos
Right off the bat, I have to apologize.
Because these photos do not nearly do this recipe justice. But, it was one of those things that was so good, that I couldn’t not share it with you guys right away. I need to find a better location to take photos when it’s raining out (which is most of the time… this is Seattle after all…). I tend to struggle without natural light :/ I know the photos are by no means terrible, but they do not accurately depict how freakin’ wonderfully amazing these tacos are!
This dish was totally inspired by the BBQ chickpeas from this salad on Half Baked Harvest. Ever since I laid eyes on it, I have not been able to get the idea of sticky-sweet, BBQ chickpeas out of my head (still need to try Ranch hummus)!
I used my homemade Spicy-Sweet BBQ Sauce here, which I think is uh-mazing, but feel free to substitute your own favorite!
Basically all you have to do is cook some canned chickpeas in some BBQ sauce and stuff them and a few various toppings in a warmed tortilla, and you have a ridiculously tasty, ridiculously simple meal!
I always love the pairing of avocado and BBQ sauce, so a little sliced avocado is almost mandatory. I also think the cilantro and red onion topping adds a bit of zippy freshness that makes everything even better. I used queso fresco cheese, because I like the salty flavor, and the fact that it melts just a bit. Cotija would be another nice choice, though.
I chose flour tortillas here, instead of corn, because I think the saucy chickpeas need the heft of a flour tortilla to stand up to them. I imagine a corn tortilla would get a little messy… not that that’s necessarily a bad thing!
By the way, if you want to make this vegan, just be sure to use a vegan BBQ sauce, and skip the cheese 🙂
Ingredients
- 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup Spicy Sweet BBQ Sauce (or your favorite)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp chopped red onion
- 3 to 4 small flour tortillas
- Avocado, sliced
- Grape tomatos, halved
- Queso fresco, crumbled
Instructions
- In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Carefully add in the chickpeas and BBQ sauce and stir to coat. Continue stirring over medium to medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes until the sauce reduces a bit and gets all sticky on the chickpeas (basically, so the chickpeas are no longer swimming in a pool of sauce).
- Meanwhile, heat your oven to 350 degrees. Wrap your tortillas in foil and warm for 5-10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the cilantro and red onion.
- Scoop some BBQ chickpeas into each tortilla and top with a couple slices of avocado, some grape tomatoes, a bit of queso fresco, and some of the cilantro-red onion mixture.
These look delicious! I make a similar chickpea taco but with traditional seasonings. Can't wait to try this!
Rachael replied: — March 10th, 2014 @ 10:38 am
Thank you, Ginnie!
This was my first experience with a chickpea taco, but a more traditional one sounds super yummy as well! I'll have to give that a try!
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