The owner of Tasty Crust restaurant in Wailuku knows his food. So, when Curtis Takaoka shares a recipe, we want to pay attention.

For at least 50 years, Takaoka has enjoyed this easy recipe for Potato Chip-Crusted Chicken. Growing up, he would enjoy this at the home of his aunt Miyoko Miura in Ewa, Oahu.

“I have never met anyone who doesn’t like crispy chicken skin,” he claims.

Takaoka’s recipe calls for commonly found ingredients and is simple to prepare. He prefers chicken thighs with the skin on and bones in. The thighs are dipped in a mayonnaise, salt, garlic salt and pepper mixture. Then they are rolled in crushed potato chips.

“Thick potato chips make the best crunch,” Takaoka said.

His tip: Crush them in the bag they come in.

Baked for about an hour, the chicken is moist and the crust is crunchy.

In 1957 Takaoka’s parents, Mike and Pat, bought the Mill Street diner from Donald and Alice Tokunaga. In an unusual twist, the young Curtis lived with the Tokunagas Monday through Friday while his parents were busy with the restaurant. On weekends Takaoka returned to live with his parents.

“They nicknamed me ‘The Traveling Salesman’ because I went back and forth,” he says.

Running Tasty Crust continues to be a family affair. Wife Naomi previously worked there, and children Brandon and Tammy work at the 100-seat restaurant, which recently reopened for dine-in service. Hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

Pancakes have been the signature dish from the start, Takaoka says. Now the top three most popular dishes are saimin, the saimin and pancake combination, and the spareribs and chop suey combinations.

“We have been so lucky that most of our customers are local residents. Some stop by four times a week,” Takaoka said. “We haven’t had to rely on the tourist traffic.”

The chicken recipe is not served at Tasty Crust, but Takaoka makes it for his appreciative family.

Potato Chip-Crusted Chicken

Recipe by Curtis Takaoka

2 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on

1 cup mayonnaise, Best Foods preferred

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup crushed thick-sliced potato chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Clean and pat dry chicken thighs. Set aside on a foil-lined baking pan.

In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, salt, garlic salt and pepper. In a separate plate or bowl, put crushed potato chips. Take one chicken thigh, dip in mayonnaise mixture, then roll in chips. Place on foil-lined baking pan. Repeat until all thighs are coated.

Bake until thighs are cooked, about 1 hour. With an instant-read thermometer, thighs should read at least 165 degrees. Serves about 4.

Lynette Lo Tom offers recipes for the Maui home cook. She is the author of “A Chinese Kitchen” and “Back in the Day” cookbooks. Send your ideas to lynette@brightlightcookery.com or call 275-3004.