Orzo Chicken Parmesan

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Crispy chicken with tender orzo in a creamy tomato sauce and topped with gooey cheese.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Small Pot or Bowl (for seasoning)
3 Large Shallow Dishes (for dredging chicken)
Large Pan & Tongs
Kitchen Roll/Paper Towels
Medium-Sized Pot & Colander (for cooking orzo)
Wooden Spoon
Large Baking Tray (for grilling/broiling chicken)

Ingredients

Chicken

1 tsp EACH: Salt, Garlic Powder
3/4 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
2x 250g/9oz Chicken Breasts
40g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
2 Eggs, beaten
60g / 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
30g / 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Olive Oil, as needed (see notes)

Orzo

200g / 1 cup uncooked Orzo
1 tbsp Butter
2 cloves of Garlic
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes (or to preference)
1/4 tsp Oregano
2 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
120ml / 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
160ml / 2/3 cup Double/Heavy Cream
20g / 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

To Serve

150g / 5.3oz Mozzarella
freshly grated Parmesan, to preference

Instructions

Chicken

In a small pot or bowl, combine 1 tsp salt and garlic powder with 3/4 tsp oregano and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Place to one side.
Horizontally slice each chicken breast right through the centre to create 4 even-sized cutlets. Line up 3 large shallow dishes: 1st with flour + half of the seasoning mixed in, 2nd with the beaten eggs and 3rd with Panko, Parmesan and the rest of the seasoning mixed in.
One by one, coat the cutlets in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, then place to one side.
Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add enough oil to cover the base of the pan (6 or so tbsp should suffice). Once the oil is hot (around 3-5 minutes – a breadcrumb should rapidly sizzle), add in two pieces of chicken. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crispy on the outside and white through the centre, then place on kitchen roll to soak excess oil. Top up the pan with oil and repeat with the remaining chicken, then discard the leftover oil and wipe out the pan. If you can fit all four in at once then do that instead.
Preheat the grill/broiler to high at this point (or whatever the highest temp is without smoking out the kitchen!)

Orzo

Add the orzo to a pot of salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain when cooked, retaining a cup of the starchy pasta water in case you need it.
Meanwhile, turn the heat to medium and melt the butter in the pan. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, chilli flakes and oregano and fry for 20 seconds or so (careful the garlic doesn't burn), then stir in the tomato puree and fry for a minute or so.
Stir in the stock and cream, then stir in the Parmesan until it melts. Season with salt and pepper, then simmer, stirring somewhat frequently for 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce. Stir in the drained orzo until the sauce clings to the orzo. You want it nice and saucy, but not watery, so give it a good stir if you need to. On the contrary, if it's looking a little dry, stir through a splash of the leftover pasta water to thin out as needed (discard the remaining). Check seasoning again and adjust if needed.
Combining
Place the chicken on a large tray (preferably on baking paper) and spoon the orzo over the top. Cover with mozzarella, then place under the grill/broiler until the cheese melts. Try and work quickly so the orzo doesn't dry too much.
Serve with Parmesan freshly grated over the top (measure with love), then tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Oil - you shouldn't need a huge amount of oil, just to cover just to half way up the chicken. Since there's not a lot (i.e. you're not deep frying) I use olive oil, but you can use a neutral-flavoured oil like sunflower or vegetable oil.

b) Panko - you'll find these in most supermarkets in the Asian section. These are what make the chicken extra crispy, so do source them if you can.

c) Orzo consistency - you want it nice and saucy, but the sauce needs to be thick enough to cling to the orzo. Keep in mind it starts drying up quickly, especially once it's in the oven.

d) Grill/Broiler - you want this on high, and preferably have the chicken on the highest rack, just so the cheese melts quickly and the orzo doesn't dry up too much. It'll naturally dry out a little; it's just the name of the game.

e) Calories - whole recipe divided by 4. Slight overestimate as it assumes all the breading is picked up by the chicken, which it isn't. Also, assuming 1 tbsp of oil per cutlet is soaked up.

Nutrition