PRODUCT REVIEW | Watusee Chickpea Crumbs

I was perusing the isles of Whole Foods recently and came across these Watusee Chickpea Breadcrumbs and was so excited to try them out in a recipe!

There’s an unspoken mission i’m on where i’m trying to find the best breadcrumb alternatives out in the market. There are so many recipes that need either a breadcrumb filling or coating, but hunting down the right one for each recipe is a goal of mine.

So I found the Watusee brand and decided to make some faux fried chicken tenders for some tacos since Cinco de Mayo is coming up!

To make the faux fried chicken tenders all you will need to do is:

• Cut your chicken breast into small strips and dredge each piece in egg
• Then spread some of the chickpea crumbs on a plate and season with salt, pepper and a little paprika. Then coat each piece of chicken with the chickpea crumbs.
• Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.
• Then assemble your taco how you like! I smeared on some plain greek yogurt onto the bottom of a tortilla, then layered on all the toppings- arugula, avocado, red pepper, cilantro and some lime juice

Super easy! But here’s what you’re maybe here for… the product review!

The Taste:

The crumbs did have a slight chickpea flavor, but it wasn’t overpowering. If you were to add them in a recipe with stronger flavors than what I did with my faux fried chicken, I’m confident they wouldn’t affect the flavor.

I will say that you will need to add a good amount of seasoning if you use these as a coating on something as they can taste a little ‘dry’ if you bake them.

The Texture:

The texture is very similar to a panko breadcrumb. Where it has the course little pieces of the crumbs and has the ‘crispy’ texture due to its flaky nature.

So, if you’re looking for a great option to make some light, crispy foods, but need a gluten free option, then here ya go! This should be your winner.

The Price:

I snagged my bag at Whole Foods and accidentally threw away the receipt… Oops. But I did a little research and i’m finding the same bag a la Amazon (because they own Whole Foods now) and a few other places. It’s looking like the price is around $4 a bag.

How To Cook It Healthier:

You can try out the super healthy faux friend chicken recipe above and toss the chicken in tacos or on salads as a great protein source.

You can also use it instead of the almond meal in my Honey-Garlic Baked Crispy Cauliflower recipe.

Another recipe idea I would like to try soon is dijon crusted salmon filets. I would slather a Tbls. of dijon muster on top of a 4oz. salmon filet, squirt a little lemon juice over the top and then sprinkle these Watusee chickpea crumbs on the dijon mustard to make a little crust. Then bake at 350 degrees for about 12 –  15 minutes. Perfection!

Let me know if you try these out and what you think of them!

xoxo Ashley