Rosemary-Fennel Chickpeas With Fried Eggs

By Sarah DiGregorio

Updated April 21, 2026

  • Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
20 min
Rating
5(25)
Comments
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The best parts of porchetta — an Italian pork roast — are the darkly crisped skin and the punchy seasoning, often rosemary, fennel, garlic and red pepper. This 20-minute vegetarian recipe channels those pleasures into a super-fast, high-protein chickpea and egg skillet that’s made from pantry ingredients. First, half of the chickpeas get coarsely mashed and seared in olive oil to create browned, crisp bits and then the other half are stirred in whole, so you get different textures from one ingredient. Be sure not to disturb the chickpeas as they sear so they get deeply browned. It might seem counterintuitive to then add water, but it soaks into the chickpeas almost immediately, leaving the nubbly bits intact while also making sure the chickpeas don’t feel dry. Serve this dish as it is, or over olive-oiled arugula. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for the eggs 

  • 3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained

  • 8 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced 

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary

  • 1½ teaspoons fennel seeds

  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for seasoning 

  • Salt and black pepper 

  • 4 large eggs 

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add about half of the chickpeas and coarsely mash them with a potato masher or a fork. Spread them out into an even layer and let them cook undisturbed (they will pop and sizzle) until deeply browned, 5 to 7 minutes. 

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, fennel, crushed red pepper, a small pinch of salt and several generous grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. 

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the remaining chickpeas and let them warm through for a couple minutes,  then add ¼ cup water. Stir until the skillet is dry again, which should happen almost immediately. 

  4. Step 4

    Push all the chickpeas to the perimeter of the pan. Drizzle a little more oil into the center and then crack the eggs into the oil. Season them with salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook until the eggs are done to your liking, 3 to 4 minutes uncovered for a runny yolk or covered for a firmer yolk. Squeeze the lemon juice to taste over the chickpeas. Taste and add more salt or pepper if necessary. Serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
25 user ratings
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Comments

Ami

I want to thank this recipe for reminding me how wonderful fennel seed is. I will say I think the chickpeas need some sort of sauce, they were a bit dry for my liking even with the lemon. I happened to have tzatziki in the fridge which fixed that wonderfully.

Rayann A

Delicious & quick. Could be dry so after adding the water, I did not cook till the skillet was dry. Used Aleppo pepper flakes and added more because I love the flavor of AP and a nice kick. Served with a quick green salad for a lovely lunch.

Tiffany L.

This dish is so flavorful, and I loved the texture of the chickpeas. I added a bit of crumbled feta right before I removed it from the pan. It was delicious!

Ami

I want to thank this recipe for reminding me how wonderful fennel seed is. I will say I think the chickpeas need some sort of sauce, they were a bit dry for my liking even with the lemon. I happened to have tzatziki in the fridge which fixed that wonderfully.

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