Vegetarian Chickpea Milanese made with a chickpea flour cutlet topped with arugula salad with canned chickpeas, tomatoes, and fresh lemon.

Chickpea Milanese

There’s a nearby restaurant that makes this vegetarian Chickpea Milanese that I loved so much I had to recreate it – with my own spin, of course! Milanese is one of my favorite things to order when I go out. So, when I tried this vegetarian one, I thought it was genius. It’s served with an arugula chickpea salad with tomatoes and fresh lemon. Chickpeas have plenty of protein and fiber, making them so versatile in vegetarian and vegan diets like in these Air Fryer Falafel. I add them to my salads, swap out potatoes for chickpeas when making breakfast and even have them in place of chicken in this buffalo chickpea salad.

What does Milanese style mean?

Milanese is a popular Italian dish made with veal, chicken, or fish. Milanese style is when the meat is coated in eggs and breadcrumbs and fried.

What are chickpea cutlets made of?

These healthy chickpea cutlets have six ingredients.

• Chickpea flour: If you’ve never cooked with chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour) before, it’s a protein-rich, gluten-free flour made of chickpeas. If you can’t find it at your regular supermarket, Whole Foods sells it, or you can order it online from Amazon.
• Cornstarch
• Olive oil
• Seasoning: Garlic powder and kosher salt
• Breadcrumbs: Seasoned breadcrumbs give these patties extra flavor. To keep them gluten-free, use gluten-free panko or make them vegan with unseasoned crumbs.

How to Make Vegetarian Chickpea Cutlets

1. Mix water, chickpea flour, cornstarch, olive oil, garlic powder, and salt in a bowl. The dough should hold together well and be slightly sticky. If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour.
2. Put flour on your hands and roll the dough into a ball.
3. Divide it into four and form four balls.
4. Put the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Place a ball on top of the crumbs and press it down until it’s about a quarter-inch thick. Flip it over to coat the other side with crumbs.
5. Repeat the process with the remaining dough, and then cook them in a skillet over medium heat for a couple of minutes on each side.

Note: I did try to make these patties in the air fryer but didn’t have as much success. If you have leftovers, you could reheat them in the air fryer to crisp them up. You can store the chickpea cutlets in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

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