With tender bites of flavorful kale, a pile of seasoned chickpeas, and creamy slices of avocado, this Massaged Kale & Chickpea Salad is one of the tastiest salads ever. It’s completely delicious, super hearty, and it totally sold me on massaged kale salad.
See, I used to be unsure about the whole massaged kale thing – I mean, I’ve always liked unmassaged kale just fine.
But I’m doing this culinary certificate thing and one of the early assignments was to try kale three different ways: unmassaged, massaged with lemon juice and olive oil, and massaged with avocado.
Lo and behold, I had to admit that I really, really adore massaged kale salad – especially massaged kale salad with avocado.
Why Massage Kale?
Massaging kale takes care of a couple of things:
It breaks down the fibers, making it easier to chew and digest.
It takes away some of that bitter “green” taste that some kale-haters dislike.
A side benefit to massaging your kale salad is that you’re seasoning/dressing your salad at the same time you are massaging it. Win-win!
When you massage kale for salad, you add de-ribbed leaves to a large bowl along with a fat, an acid, and salt.
Fat: Helps tenderize and coat the kale leaves
Salt: Aids the tenderizing process
Acid: Really helps break down those fibers.
Then, you squeeze, massage, and toss around the kale until tender and perfect!
Massaged Kale & Chickpea Salad Ingredients
This chickpea kale salad massages the kale with avocado, tops it with a simply dressed chickpea salad, and then it’s plopped with a few slices of avocado for good measure. Plus, I like a few sunflower seeds for crunch.
Kale – I like curly kale for this kale chickpea salad, but any kale will do.
Avocado – use half for massaging the kale, and the other half sliced on the salad.
Lemon juice – some for massaging, some for dressing the chickpeas
Salt & freshly ground pepper – some salt for massaging, plus, of course, loads of flavor!
Chickpeas – One can or about 1 1/2 cups cooked
Olive oil, dijon mustard, and pure maple syrup – To finish out the chickpea dressing. So good!
Red onion – for a little pizzazz and color
Sunflower seeds – I love a sprinkling of salty roasted sunflower seeds for crunch.
How to Make Kale Chickpea Salad
First, Massage the Kale
To massage your kale, strip out the ribs and tear your kale into bite-size pieces. Add to a large bowl along with the avocado, lemon juice, and a bit of salt.
And then, with clean hands, squeeze and rub and manhandle the kale until it’s reduced in size and tender. This process usually takes just a couple of minutes.
Unmassaged (left); massaged (right)
Your kale enjoyed a nice little trip to the spa before you chomp it down. Massaging for the win!
Toss the Chickpeas in Dressing
Mix the chickpeas with the onion, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, pure maple syrup, and salt and pepper.
Assemble the Salad
Divide the kale between plates, top with chickpeas, and arrange the remaining avocado over the salads. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve!
More Kale Salad Recipes
I love kale salad! Here are a few more kale salad recipes on Kitchen Treaty:
The 10-minute meal I can't stop making: Kale massaged with avocado then topped with a simple chickpea salad and more avocado. (More avocado is always a good thing, am I right?)
2tablespoonslemon juice(from approx. 1 medium lemon, divided)
1/2teaspoonkosher salt(divided)
115-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups cooked)
1/4cupdiced red onion(about 1/4 medium onion)
1tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
1teaspoonDijon mustard
1teaspoonpure maple syrup
1/8teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
2tablespoonsroasted salted sunflower seeds
Instructions
Squeeze half the avocado out of its shell and into a large bowl. Mash with a fork. Add the kale, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. And, with clean hands, dig in! Squeeze and rub the kale until it's reduced in size and tender, 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
To a medium bowl, add the chickpeas, onion, olive oil, the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, Dijon mustard, pure maple syrup, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir until well-combined.
Divide kale between three plates. Top with chickpeas. Slice remaining avocado and arrange on top of the salads. Sprinkle sunflower seeds over the top. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can make the chickpea salad ahead of time, but due to the avocado and the fact that it usually does not keep well, I recommend doing the massaged kale and avocado right before serving.
Meat option:
Top meat-eaters’ portions with some cooked, cubed chicken.
Vegetarian (dairy) option:
Top individual portions with 2 tablespoons each crumbled feta.