Sometimes you might forget to soak the chickpeas in advance, but don't worry. The good news is that you don't necessarily have to soak them for a long period of time. The quicker method: To a saucepan, add 3 cups of water or broth, for every 1 cup of dry chickpeas and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 60-90 minutes or until desired tenderness is achieved. You may need to add more water if the chickpeas do not reach desired tenderness and additional cooking time is required. Keep in mind that using chickpeas that have been pre-soaked will reduce the cooking time by 25%.