Persian-Style Pizza-Chips (خوراک چیپس و پنیر) — Street-Food Chip Bake with Chicken and Mozzarella

• 220 gplain potato chips (thick-cut holds up best)
• 300 gchicken fillet (cut into 1 cm cubes)
• 80 gdry salami (thin strips; use halal beef or turkey salami if preferred)
• 200 gmushrooms (sliced 5 mm)
• 120 gbell pepper (thin strips; red or green)
• 120 gcanned corn kernels (drained)
• 120 gcanned peas (drained)
• 260 gmozzarella cheese (shredded; low-moisture melts best)
• 30 gtomato paste (for a light Persian-style coating)
• 60 mlwater (to loosen tomato paste)
• 15 mlneutral oil (sunflower or canola)
• 2 tspdried thyme
• 1.5 tspground turmeric
• 0.75 tspblack pepper
• 3 gfine salt (reduce if chips are very salty)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200°C and place a rack in the middle. Lightly oil a 24 cm oven-safe skillet or a 20×30 cm baking dish so the cheese releases cleanly after baking.

2. 2

   Stir the tomato paste with the water until smooth and pourable. This quick sauce is intentionally light, because the chips already bring salt and crunch and you want the bake to stay crisp rather than soggy.

3. 3

   Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken cubes, salt, turmeric, and black pepper, then sauté for 6–8 minutes until the chicken is opaque and lightly golden on the edges.

4. 4

   Add the mushrooms and cook for 4–5 minutes until their moisture evaporates and the pan looks mostly dry. Stir in the bell pepper and cook 2 minutes more so it stays slightly crisp and sweet.

5. 5

   Add the drained corn and peas and cook for 1 minute just to warm them through. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of the dried thyme, toss well, and turn off the heat so the herbs stay aromatic.

6. 6

   Spread half of the potato chips in an even layer in the prepared dish, keeping some larger chips intact for better texture. Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the chips in thin ribbons, because too much liquid will soften them.

7. 7

   Scatter half of the chicken-vegetable mixture over the chips, then add half of the salami strips. Top with 130 g of mozzarella, spreading it to the edges so you get browned, stretchy corners.

8. 8

   Repeat the layers with the remaining chips, remaining tomato mixture, remaining filling, and the final 130 g mozzarella. Finish by sprinkling the remaining 1 teaspoon dried thyme evenly over the top for a classic Iranian street-food aroma.

9. 9

   Bake for 12–15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling, and the edges are lightly browned. Switch to the broiler for 60–90 seconds if needed, watching closely so the chips do not scorch.

10. 10

    Rest the dish for 5 minutes so the cheese sets slightly and slices lift cleanly. Serve hot while the chips still have crunch and the mozzarella pulls into long strands.