Potato-Chip Crusted Chicken with Arugula Pesto by Charlotte Druckman

Imagine what properly melty mozzarella-blanketed chicken Parmigiana could be under the best circumstances—coated with potato chips, smeared with a bright electric-green sauce...

Photo by Aubrie Pick

SERVES 4

Something we never admit but all know is true: Even bad chicken Parmigiana is good. We totally eat—and love—it cold, same as pizza. It can be made with suck-o tomato sauce or questionable “cheese” that looks like baked Shrinky Dinks, and still we accept it. Imagine what properly melty mozzarella-blanketed chicken Parmigiana could be under the best circumstances—coated with potato chips, smeared with a bright electric-green sauce—and you should arrive at this tour de force. Try it in sub form on a long, thick roll, slapped with extra pesto, topped with arugula leaves, and hit with a squeeze of lemon. Or, bypass the broiler and eat the chicken without the cheese or pesto, enjoying the maximum crunch from the chips.