By Request Betty Shimabukuro

Mayonnaise secret to crisp chicken

Not true, says owner Colin Nishida. The restaurant/bar shut down for a day recently, for some repair work. As for that chicken dish, his mother taught it to him and it's so simple, he ran through the directions over the phone.

"That was the first thing I learned how to cook. You know, come home from school, you cook rice and then you roll the chicken and put 'em in the oven."

By "roll the chicken," he means in mayonnaise and cornflakes. "It's the mayo, I tell you. Everything tastes good in mayo."

Besides salt and pepper, the only other ingredient is Parmesan cheese. "Most of the time we add Parmesan cheese, unless we forget."

Nishida does a lot with poultry and mayonnaise. His standard roast chicken involves brining, followed by an all-over coating in mayo.

"The oil comes off and the egg remains and forms a crust," he says. Baste with more mayo as the chicken roasts. "It keeps it moist while the birds are cooking."

It's almost embarrassing to present this as a recipe, sort of like providing a recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But for those whose mothers never made this, or who need some sense of proportions so they at least know if they have enough mayo left in the jar, I did make one batch and measure things out.

A couple of notes: Nishida says he uses the cornflakes straight out of the box, but I got better results by crushing them slightly. Just use your hands. Also, I prefer the chicken with the skin removed, but that's up to you.

Bottom line: "Why make life any more complicated?" Nishida says. "The simple things are the best."

Side Street Inn's Cornflake Chicken

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and cheese. Coat in mayonnaise, then roll in cornflakes. Bake 45 minutes, until juices run clear. Serves 4.