My Oven-Baked Zucchini/Courgette Chips are a fantastic snack and a perfect appetiser. They are a delicious and healthy substitute for traditional potato chips and can be served with a variety of dips. I really enjoy them!

HISTORY AND VARIATIONS OF These ZUCCHINI CHips.

Zucchini chips are a popular food in the Balkans, especially in Bulgaria and Greece. Traditionally, they are prepared fried there.

Nowadays, many are conscious about healthy eating and avoid fried foods. New methods of cooking chips are used, and this recipe is a perfect example of that. My oven-baked zucchini is a healthy version of the traditional Balkan-style batter-fried zucchini.

If you are curious to read about the traditional recipe, click on the image below.

MORE RECIPES WITH ZUCCHINI:

• Air-Fried Zucchini Chips
• Keto Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Zucchini & Eggplant Savoury Cake
• Batter-Fried Zucchini Chips

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT OVEN-BAKED ZUCCHINI CHIPS?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN THIS RECIPE

Zucchini/courgettes: Choose young zucchini that are big enough to make good size chips. Do not cut the zucchini slices too thinly because they will burn quickly, and if they are too thick, the chips will not become crunchy.

Spices: Use a mixture of spices to jazz your chips, but don’t overdo it. Choose a maximum of 2 or 3 spices. Garlic or onion powder, black pepper, savoury, paprika or chipotle are great to use for making chips. Add a pinch of chilli powder for a lovely kick, if you like heat.

Salt: Salt the chips only after cooking them to avoid the zucchini shrinking too much during cooking.

Parmesan: Although using parmesan with your chips is optional, it adds a lovely flavour and texture. You can sprinkle Parmesan over the zucchini chips before or after cooking them.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F. Reduce the temperature slightly for fan ovens.

Step 2: Prepare the zucchini/courgettes chips

You do not have to peel the zucchini skins because they add a beautiful crunch to the chips, but make sure that you wash the zucchini really well. Soak the whole zucchini in cold water for 15 minutes to loosen dirt or pesticides, then scrub them under running water.

Cut the zucchini ends, then slice the zucchini into 1 cm thick slices. Use a mandolin or a sharp knife to make even slices. Slices with the same thickness will cook evenly.

The zucchini can be cut into round coins (crosswise) or into long strips (lengthwise).

Arrange the sliced zucchini onto a large tray and sprinkle salt over them. Cover with plastic wrap and let them release their bitter juices for 10-15 minutes.

Place the zucchini slices into a colander and rinse them under your kitchen tap to remove excess salt, then transfer the slices into a large bowl of cold water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. The zucchini slices must be chilled well before cooking them. This is essential because the temperature shock helps to create really nice and crispy chips.

Step 2: Spice & batter the zucchini SLICES

Combine the spices and mix them well, then spread them onto a plate. Leave the spice mixture aside. Mix semolina and plain flour on a separate plate. Do not add salt to the spice mixture.

Take the sliced zucchini out of the fridge and arrange them over a few layers of kitchen paper. Press them lightly with another piece of kitchen paper to remove excess moisture. This is important because, if the zucchini slices are too well, they will make your spice mixture soggy.

Work as fast as you can and place the zucchini in the oven while they are still cold.

Brush the zucchini slices generously with olive oil on both sides and toss them into the spice mixture on all sides, then transfer them to the plate with semolina and flour and coat them well in the batter.

Step 3: Cook the zucchini/courgette chips

Arrange the battered zucchini slices on an oven grid or a baking tray lined with baking paper. Make sure they are not touching.

Bake the zucchini chips for 30 minutes, or until they have a golden colour and do not stick to the cooking paper or the grid.

You may need to add a few drops of oil to the chips that are drying out too quickly.

If the zucchini chips are starting to burn, but aren’t cooked enough, give them a stir. And, if they are sticking to the grid/ paper, scrape them with a sharp knife. Be careful not to tear them.

🍲 SERVE OVEN-BAKED ZUCCHINI CHIPS

Zucchini chips are best served with a dip of your choice. My favourite dips for these chips are Chives and Sour Cream and Greek Tzatziki. Oven-baked zucchini chips are my favourite mezze for an ice-cold lager, a perfect treat on a hot summer day!

As a vegan option, pair the zucchini chips with tomato salsa or hummus.

Enjoy! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳

FAQ

What KIND OF zucchini TO USE for this recipe?

Normally, I would say white zucchini are the best to use for cooking. They are tender and have very thin skin. However, for this recipe, I find the green zucchini to work really well too. They have ticker skin which cooks to a beautiful crisp.

How to choose zucchini for this recipe?

When making this recipe, there are two important things that you must keep in mind. First, you need to choose young zucchini because they have smaller seeds. The seeds do not give a flattering appearance to the zucchini chips, but also make them soggy. The second one is, zucchini chips shrink when cooked and to have a good size chip you need a larger zucchini slice. Sourcing larger zucchini with smaller seeds can be a bit tricky because typically bigger zucchini have larger seeds. Choose zucchini are large but slim, rounded zucchini definitely have larger seeds.

WHAT IS THE EASIEST way to cut zucchini into chips?

Some say it’s best to use a mandolin. I really don’t like using a mandolin. Every time I use one, I fear injuring myself as I have done it already a few times. I find it difficult to use the protective fork because the vegetables keep on sliding off or getting loose. A few years ago, I invested in an electric slicing machine. I think they are great! I use it for slicing bread, salami and vegetables. The electric slicer makes wonderful even slices, perfect for chips.

How do I know if my zucchini chips are ready?

Zucchini chips that are fully cooked, should not stick to the cooking grid. This’s a good way to find out if your chips are ready. Gently scrape underneath them with a knife to check.