Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Orzo
This Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Orzo is packed with flavor and can be ready in 30 minutes or less. The crunchy, cheesy crusted chicken pairs perfectly with the buttery, caramelized lemon orzo. This meal is perfect to add to your family weeknight rotation.
Weeknight meals can be intimidating. When I was working full time I would get home after a long day of work, and the last thing I felt like doing was cooking a fancy, flavorful meal. Once we had our first son, things got even crazier and it became even tougher to try to think up meals to cook. My sleep deprived brain just didn’t have any creative thoughts.
While my expertise is in baking, as I trained in pastry arts, I still enjoy cooking. I’ve been working hard behind the scenes trying to come up with a variety of quick, flavorful meals. This parmesan crusted chicken is a meal I wish I would’ve come up with sooner. The crunchy, cheesy coating on the chicken paired with the lemon orzo is like a match made in heaven. It’s so good, and the best part is that it truly is easy to make. You can make the meal in one pan, or to make the meal faster, you can use two skillets – one to cook the chicken and one to cook the orzo.
The details
Breading the chicken
This meal moves pretty quickly, so I suggest, getting all your ingredients measured and set out. The first thing you want to do is set up your breading stations for the chicken. Add the egg to one shallow bowl and beat with a fork. To a second bowl, you’ll add the flour, cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper, then stir to combine.
Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then dredge through the parmesan mixture, shaking off any excess parmesan mixture.
Cooking the chicken
In a large skillet, add enough oil to coat the bottom, then heat over medium heat. Add the chicken to the hot oil, then cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165F. If the chicken is getting too dark, reduce the heat.
caramelize the lemons
In a separate skillet, while the chicken cooks, OR, you may wait until the chicken is done cooking and use the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add lemon slices. Cook the lemons until caramelized on each side. Cooking the lemons in the skillet adds a delicious buttery lemon flavor, which the orzo will be cooked in. Remove the lemons from the skillet and set aside.
Cook the orzo
In the same skillet you cooked the lemons in, you’ll add the remaining butter and garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, then add the orzo. Cook the orzo for a minute or so, to toast it, then add the chicken broth and lemon juice. Boil until the orzo is al dente. The liquid should be completely absorbed by the time the orzo is done cooking. Stir the orzo as it cooks so it doesn’t stick to the pan. Once the orzo is cooked, stir in lemon zest.
Serve
To serve, add the orzo to a plate along with the caramelized lemon slices and chicken. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!
If you make this parmesan crusted chicken, let me know what you thought in the ratings and comments below. I love hearing your feedback! Make sure you follow me on instagram and youtube for some fun behind the scenes and for the full cooking video for this parmesan crusted chicken recipe.
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Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Orzo
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Orzo is packed with flavor and can be ready in 30 minutes or less. The crunchy, cheesy crusted chicken pairs perfectly with the buttery, caramelized lemon orzo. This meal is perfect to add to your family weeknight rotation.
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Orzo
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 lemons, sliced
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 cups chicken broth
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
1. Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally. Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet to lightly pound the chicken out to even thickness.
2. Set up your breading stations. In one shallow bowl, add beaten egg. In a second shallow bowl, add parmesan cheese, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Dip your chicken in the egg mixture then dredge the chicken in the parmesan mixture. Set aside.
3. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet. Heat over medium heat until hot. Once oil is hot, add chicken and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes on each side. If the chicken is getting too dark, you may reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and melt over medium heat. Add sliced lemon to pan and cook until caramelized, then flip lemon slice and cook until caramelized on other side. Remove lemon from skillet.
5. Add remaining tablespoon butter and melt over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds, then add orzo. Cook orzo for 1 minute, stirring constantly to toast the orzo. Add in the chicken broth and lemon juice and bring mixture to a boil. Boil mixture for 8 minutes. Stirring frequently so orzo doesn’t stick to bottom of pan. If the orzo needs a touch more liquid as it boils, you may add a touch more. You want the liquid to be absorbed by the time the orzo is done cooking.
6. Once the orzo is cooked, add lemon zest and stir to combine.
7. Serve orzo on a plate, then place chicken on top. Garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Great taste and browning the orzo then boiling for 8 min instead of the 40min + cooking method was so much faster and easier! Husband loved it.
Wow, I’m so happy to hear you made this already and both you and your husband loved it! Thank you for trying out my recipe. 🙂
-Jolene