Zesty Dill Pickle Kale Chips

One of my all time best snack food discoveries came last January on a trip to Las Vegas, and ever since, I have been persistent on creating a copycat recipe that is not only similar, but also healthier. The snack food of choice? Deep River Snacks New York Spicy Dill Pickle Kettle Cooked Potato Chips. Now, let me start off by saying that I am not even a huge fan of eating pickles, but I am a huge fan of all things salt and vinegar, and these definitely hit the spot.

I have had pickle flavored potato chips in the past and have always loved the tang of them, but these particular potato chips were something else entirely. Maybe it’s the kettle cooked style (which is always better), or the spicy undertone that gives just enough heat without overdoing it. I’m not totally sure what is so different about these particular chips, but whatever it is, it’s fantastic.

Regardless of their addictive flavor, I haven’t had a bag since. Why? Well, for starters, I have zero self-control when it comes to chips of any variety, so I don’t keep them around the house that often. Also, mindlessly munching on potato chips isn’t all that great for the waistline. Don’t believe me? Google ‘couch potato.’

Being a snack-loving gal, I had to find a more nutritionally sound substitution for my salty, crunchy cravings, and after a few months of searching, I stumbled upon Brad’s Raw Leafy Kale Chips, and from there, the rest was history. If you haven’t tried Brad’s Raw Leafy Kale Chips, you are seriously missing out. While I can’t speak for all of the flavor varieties, Vampire Killer and Naked are both insanely good. While definitely better for your body, they aren’t so good on the wallet. For 2.5 ounces, these chips will run you about $8, and 2.5 ounces is not a whole lot of chips (I can easily, EASILY polish off a container in one sitting, but that could just be my inner fat kid – don’t judge). Yes, you read that right, $8 for chips that aren’t even ‘chips.’ They are insanely expensive, and with the amount I have purchased over the past few months, I should seriously have stock in the brand. Your welcome, Brad 😉

A few nights ago, I found myself assuming the usual position of eating my kale chips and watching Orange is the New Black when out of nowhere, it dawned on me. “Wouldn’t it be awesome to make a dill pickle flavored kale chip like the ones from Vegas?” Obviously, the answer is yes, yes it would, because today I am giving you the recipe to do exactly that, and $8 will make you almost triple the amount.

I went out, bought a dehydrator (specifically, the Nesco American Harvest Snackmaster Encore Dehydrator and Jerky Maker model), and got to working on my first batch. Honestly, the cost of the dehydrator was about 8 packs of kale chips, which I have easily gone through in the past month, so it kind of made sense to start making my own and sharing them with you.

Do these taste exactly like the Deep River version? No, because they aren’t. It’s kale after all, not potatoes, but this is a damn good substitution that will definitely cure your cravings, and they taste remarkably similar to the Brad’s Raw style that I love. You will need a dehydrator for this recipe, but if you don’t have one, there are several convection oven and regular oven methods you can try, although I can’t guarantee the outcome. The great thing about the dehydrator is that your can turn the heat low enough to where you don’t lose the nutrients of the kale, which is probably why you’re eating kale instead of fried potatoes in the first place.

This recipe takes about 3.5 hours from start to finish, and you can make a decent sized batch that will save in a cool, dark place for a few days, but storing isn’t something you’ll need to worry about as they probably won’t last that long.