Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important legume crop predominantly cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions where drought limits yield. This review outlines recent advancements in drought tolerance research in chickpea, integrating genetic, molecular, environmental, and physiological approaches. The idiosyncratic nature of drought is emphasized, highlighting the need to align plant phenotypes with specific drought types across phenological scales. Advances in genomics, including genomic selection and marker-assisted selection, have accelerated the breeding for adaptation to drought. CRISPR-Cas9 and other modern genome-editing technologies are enabling precise modifications of drought-responsive genes, offering new insights. High-throughput phenotyping and data-driven predictive models further enhance the identification and selection of superior genotypes. The integration of traditional breeding methods with modern technologies addresses challenges posed by the idiosyncratic nature of drought, the interaction between drought and other stresses (e.g., heat), the polygenic nature of drought tolerance, the narrow genetic diversity in cultivated chickpeas, and incomplete conceptual models of plant phenotypes in crop stands. This review underscores the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in developing drought-tolerant chickpeas.