Chipping is best thought of as modified putting. Chipping should be employed when you are near the green. You may have obstacle between you and the hole or you may not. More often, you will not have anything but open green and the flag stick.
The object is to get the ball rolling towards the hole as if you had putted it. It is easier for you to calculate how much force a putt needs than how hard to swing to loft it to the hole.
Approach a chip like you would a long putt. Read the break the same way and figure in the slope as if you plan to sink it.
Next, by looking at the distance from the ball to the hole from the side, determine 5 equal segments of that distance. In other words, divide the distance into fifths. You typically want to carry the ball the first fifth, and let it roll the next 4 fifths to the hole. If you are on the fringe, that should be easy to figure. Take a club that will loft the ball the distance from the ball to the edge of the green and it will roll the rest off the way to the hole. Say you're 20 feet from the pin and 4 feet off the green, with a normal lie. Take a 4 iron to an 8 iron to lift and carry it the first 4 feet. After it reaches the putting surface it will roll proportionally to the loft of the club. An eight iron won't roll as much as a 4 iron.
Take some balls to the practice green and throw 5 over your shoulder on the edge. Play them with different clubs as you experiment with this concept.
When the distance is about the same, say 5 feet of fringe and 5 to 10 feet of green, then you need more loft. Pitching wedge or sand wedge will be the club. The loft and roll on these club will be 50/50. Half the distance will be in the air and half will be roll.
All of these shots require a putting grip and a putting stance. Make the stroke as if it were a putt. The is extremely important to remember. Chip with you smoothest putting stroke. Put the ball back in your stance, off your right toe. Keep your wrists firm. Do not let them break any more than they would when you putt. THINK PUTT.