Chicken Minestrone with Crispy Chickpeas

1. Heat a 5- to 8-quart soup pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pot. When cool, crumble bacon into small pieces to use as a topping – set aside.
2. To the bacon drippings, add onion, carrot, and celery. Saute for about 12 minutes, until vegetables start to soften. Add garlic and stir for one minute.
3. Add thyme, rosemary, chicken stock, kidney beans, and chickpeas. Add about 1 teaspoon salt and bring the pot to a boil over high heat. When the liquid boils, add the pasta and reduce the heat to medium-high. Keep at a low boil (higher than a simmer) for about 12 minutes, uncovered, until the pasta is cooked (this cooking time should also finish softening the carrots).
4. Then stir in the cooked chicken and red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over low heat, covered, until your toppings are ready.
5. For chickpeas: heat olive oil in a small to medium skillet over high heat (the amount of oil depends on how many peas you’re frying–definitely cover the surface of the pan, with a little tiny bit extra). Roll the reserved chickpeas between layers of paper towel to absorb all their surface moisture. Add them to the pan, stirring to coat with oil, then let them sit undisturbed for several minutes to crisp up and turn brown. Roll them around in the pan every few minutes. They could take 10 minutes to brown, or they could take 5–just watch them. When done, remove them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate, and sprinkle with salt and pepper while still warm.
6. (Optional, for fried kidney beans): if you’re up to the challenge, fry a couple tablespoons of reserved kidney beans in the same manner as the chickpeas. At least that’s what I did, and they tasted good, though the danger level was “uncomfortable” (they really pop and spatter in the pan). Let me know how it goes.
7. For the bread: Cut the sliced bread into cubes, about 1″ square (you can include crusts if you like). If the bread is still soft and fresh, dry the cubes out on a sheet pan in a 275F oven for a bit before you fry them. Reheat the oil that is left in the pan from the chickpeas until very hot. Toss in the bread cubes (in batches if necessary), and fry until they soak up a bunch of oil and get well-browned. Removed to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you fry the bread in batches, add more oil as necessary.
8. To serve, top each bowl of soup with a little bacon, a little cheese, some fried chickpeas, and some fried bread.