Chicken Cutlet & Creamy Lemon Orzo

Cook the orzo in a pot of boiling water to al dente, drain and set aside.

Slice the chicken breasts in half. Then add a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap to a cutting board, add a piece of the chicken and cover it with another piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken breasts to about ½ inch thickness. Season each piece of chicken well with salt and pepper and set aside.

Make the breading: in a shallow bowl mix together the 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp breadcrumbs, shredded parmesan cheese, minced dill, minced chives, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Season the chicken breasts well with salt and pepper. In another bowl whisk the egg and set aside.

Bread the chicken by dipping pieces of chicken one at a time in the whisked egg and letting any excess egg drip off. Then dunk into the breadcrumbs mixture, pressing gently to adhere the breadcrumbs to each side of the chicken breasts. Add each breaded chicken breast to the parchment lined sheet pan. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray.

Bake the chicken for 22-26 minutes or until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through to 165F.

While the chicken is baking, prep the ingredients for the orzo. And, make the herb garnish by mixing together the fresh minced herbs, 2-4 tbsp olive oil and pinch salt and pepper, set aside.

Once the chicken is done cooking, set aside and finish the orzo by using a medium frying pan and adding olive oil over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the shallot and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until slightly softened. Add the chicken broth, cream and cooked orzo. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the salt, pepper and lemon zest, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Finally stir in the 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper if desired.

Serve by dividing the orzo between 4 plates along with 1 cooked chicken cutlet each. Drizzle some of the herb garnish over each piece of chicken and garnish with halved cherry tomatoes if desired.