Kids Can Cook – Pita Chips

I first shared this super simple recipe way back in 2010, and it’s been one of my most popular recipes ever since, so it’s time for an update.

I’m pretty sure I know why it’s so popular, it’s a combination of two things – they are delicious, and they are the perfect thing for little ones to help make.

Way back when I had a toddler and a baby (and two other kids in school) this was one of our favourite activities.

As a three year old Morgan loved to cook, but I didn’t love the amount of energy it took, or the mess it made when he got involved with baking, and there was just never enough time. But when you make pita chips there is pretty much no mess, there are lots of things little hands can do that are actually helpful, you don’t take the entire baby’s sleep time with cooking, and you get something delicious to eat very soon after you’re done. Win, win, win!

To start with you’ll need a big tray and some pita bread – we often have one or two left over after dinner, or a couple in the freezer.

If you’ve got a preschooler who can manage scissors, give their craft scissors a good wash and dry and get them cutting the pitta bread in to random ‘chip sized’ shapes. The pita bread cuts really easily, even with not so sharp scissors, but I find it helpful to cut a a few pieces first so they have something for size comparison.

If you are cooking with a really little person who’s scissors skills are not quite up to scratch then you can either tear up the pita bread, or snip them up yourself ready for your little one to do the next step.

Each piece of pita bread needs to be separated so it is only one layer, which is easy for little hands to do. Then you need to arrange them on the tray, as close together as possible. It’s a bit like making a giant pita puzzle, and it’s quite fun!

Now it’s time to spray and sprinkle!
You need to spray or brush your tray full of pita chips with some olive oil and them sprinkle them with dried herbs and salt. We just use a boring old combination of oregano, marjoram, rosemary and thyme, but you can use any herb combination you like.

Little people can sometimes be a bit vigorous with this step, so I suggest not giving them a huge container of herbs or salt or you might end up covered in it!

Now pop them in a very low oven until they crisp up and you are ready to eat them!

Here’s a proper recipe for you, all ready to print out –

 
Please note: this recipe uses Australian measurements and cooking temperatures, if you need to convert measurements or temperatures this website is useful.

That little boy in the photo up there is now nearly nine, but he still loves to make pita chips for lunch or snack.

A big bowl of pita chips, some cut up veggies, and some simple yoghurt dip (find the recipe for garlic and youghurt dip here) is one of my kids all time favourite snacks.

(This blog post has been updated and republished, which is why some of the comments are dated back in 2010 when I first shared it)

Find more easy things to cook with your kids here.