Don’t let this dish seem daunting – you’ll be wanting to make this over and over again.
Also, don’t feel like making the fried chicken? Feel free to just make this amazing orzo.
“The Meyer lemon has more depth than traditional lemons, but we still want all the acid. The slightly tart lemon butter and additional lemon from the Pink Peppercorn Lemon Thyme in the pasta perfectly cuts some of the richness from the fried chicken and cheeses.” – Chef Christian Gill.
Check out more of Chef Christian’s recipes over on Youtube.
Pink Peppercorn Lemon Thyme Creamy Orzo & Fried Chicken
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb Chicken Breast
- 4 Eggs
- 1 lb Orzo
- 3 cups Panko flakes
- 1 1/2 cups Cherry Tomatoes
- 2/3 cup White Onion (small dice)
- 6 cloves Garlic (smashed)
- 2 Fresno Chiles (thinly sliced)
- 1/3 cup Flat leaf Parsley (fine chop)
- 1 ball Fresh Mozzarella (sliced)
- Juice of 2 Lemon
- Juice of 4 Meyer Lemons
- 3 cups Chicken Stock
- 8 Tbsp Butter
- 3 Tbsp Spiceology Pink Peppercorn Lemon Thyme
- 1 cup Romano Cheese (grated)
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream (optional)
Instructions
- Make orzo according to instructions, but stop cooking 2 minutes before al dente, drain while saving two cups of pasta water, and shock pasta with cold water and set aside.
- Split chicken breasts in half and pound out to a half inch thickness. Season with SPG on both sides. – Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large cast iron skillet, heat half an inch of vegetable oil to 350 degrees F.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk all four eggs and place panko into a medium bowl.
- Dredge chicken in egg mixture, then panko. If you wish to double bread, repeat this process.
- Once oil is hot, fry chicken in cast iron skillet approx. 2 minutes per side. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Top chicken with sliced mozzarella and place in oven to finish cooking for 12-15 minutes. Once cheese is melted and chicken’s internal temp is 160 degrees F, remove from oven, cover and let rest.
- In a small saucepot or medium skillet, melt butter and add smashed garlic cloves. Add lemon juices and 1 cup of chicken stock. Stir in 1 tbsp of Spiceology Pink Peppercorn Lemon Thyme, bring to a boil and reduce heat to med low. Let Lemon Butter sauce reduce by half and keep warm.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Sautee onions until translucent, approximately 2 minutes. Add sliced Fresno chiles, 2 tbsp of Spiceology Pink Peppercorn Lemon Thyme and tomatoes.
- Sautee for an additional two minutes then add orzo, and remaining cup of chicken stock. Bring to a boil and add 1 cup of pasta water.
- As orzo comes back to a boil, sprinkle in Romano cheese and parsley.
- Add remaining pasta water and toss well. At this point, if you want it creamier, you can add a touch of heavy cream.
- Plate orzo, chicken, and smother in lemon butter and serve.
