On Friday's after her job as a bookkeeper at a local store, my mother would always arrive home with an edible treat for us girls. Sometimes that treat was ingredients to make home burgers, other times a big bag of potato chips that would last us the weekend. Friday's are for treats and this salt and vinegar kettle chip crusted chicken recipe was created with my mother in mind. Transform your basic chicken breast into an irrisistable crunchy delight with very little time and effort, just the way Summer food should be.

Salt and vinegar kettle chip crusted chicken with green salad and lemon yogurt dijon dressing.

Before we start with the recipe I'd like to talk about the equipment that I use. Why? Because your equipment is essential to the outcome of the dish. When I talk about cooking on Instagram, I always recommend using a good non-stick skillet. This kettle chip crusted chicken, eggs, any time I sear chicken or fish and make a quick sauce...I use my Zwilling Forté non-stick skillet or my Ballarini Como frying pan. The only other one I've found to be a true non-stick (and loved by so many of my foodie friends as well) is the T-Fal Professional Total Thermo-Spot frying pan. There is something about having a piece of quality equipment in your arsenal that you can rely on to perform every single time. When we first got married I didn't have any good kitchen tools and decided to treat myself to one thing every month when I could afford it. It has made such a huge difference.

A few notes on this recipe:

* I didn't use anything to adhere the crumbed chips to the chicken. I found that grinding the kettle chips finely enough by using a food processor was enough, but if this has you worried I suggest the optional step of brushing some seasoned garlic mayonnaise onto each side of the chicken before crusting with chips. I will include my favorite seasoned mayonnaise below.

* You can absolutely bake this chicken instead of shallow frying. Place the crumbed chicken on a wire rack in a baking sheet and cook at 350F for 8-10 minutes (Internal temp 165F).

* This salt and vinegar kettle chip crusted chicken makes a great chicken sandwich! It's also great chopped into your favorite Summer salad or topped with fresh tomato salad.

Ingredients:
Serves 4

2 large chicken breasts
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
4 cups salt & vinegar kettle chips
1/2 cup olive oil for frying

Optional mayonnaise glue:
4 tablespoons good quality mayonnaise like my favorite Sir Kensingtons Avocado Oil
1 teaspoon fresh garlic paste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (Or less if you are worried about the lemon overpowering the chips)
garlic salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place boneless, skinless chicken breast (tender removed) on a work surface and hold it flat with the palm of your non-knife hand. Slice each chicken breast horizontally into two even pieces. Season each side with garlic salt and black pepper, or combine optional mayonnaise ingredients and brush onto all sides of chicken using a pastry brush, then set aside and wash hands.

Place salt and vinegar kettle chips into the bowl of a food processor and pulse, 8-10 times until chips resemble course bread crumbs. Pour chip crumbs into a large plate and heat a large non-stick skillet with olive oil to medium. Crust each side of the chicken by placing them onto the chip plate and turning until you've picked up most of the chips. Discard any remaining chip crumbs and place chicken into the hot pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through and the chip coating is golden. Turn off heat and remove chicken, placing on a paper towel to drain excess oil.

Best served immediately with your choice of salad greens. Pictured above I have butter lettuce, fancy frilly lettuce (I forget the name), and raddichio with capers and cucumber.

For the salad dressing, combine equal parts plain greek yogurt and dijon mustard with chopped chives and enough fresh lemon juice as you can stand. Add some crushed garlic to taste.