Panko Chicken Tenders with Tomato Basil Orzo

Last night I made a meal that Kenny and I both love. He really prefers to eat meat and I love to eat pasta. We can balance what we both like with this dish.

1 lb. of uncooked chicken tenders
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
2 eggs; lightly beaten
3 tablespoons of all purpose flour
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
1/3 of a box of uncooked orzo pasta
6-8 cherry tomatoes sliced into fourths
3 fresh basil leaves chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil

1.  Place the flour, eggs, and panko bread crumbs in three seperate bowls. Add a few shakes of salt, pepper, and garlic powder to each bowl.This is the order you will dip the chicken in. You can find panko bread crumbs with regular bread crumbs. I chose to use them because add a great amount of crunch to the chicken compared to regular bread crumbs.

2. In a pot, place salted water for the orzo. Turn the heat to high to get the water to boil. I took a picture of the Orzo box in case you haven't used it before. It is a great pasta option that is a lot like rice.

3.While the water is warming up to boil, start breading the chicken. You will need 2 plates; one for the raw un-breaded chicken and one for the raw breaded chicken. Using one hand ( keep the other clean so you can turn on the water to wash your hands) dip each piece of chicken in the flour, then the egg, then the panko crumbs and place on the reserved plate.

4.When the water starts to boil, add the orzo and stir. You will cook it for 9 minutes. While the orzo is cooking, heat a nonstick stillet to medium with one tablespoon of olive oil. Wait about 4 minutes and add the chicken to the hot pan. Cook on each side for 4 minutes.

5. While the chicken and orzo are cooking, chop the basil and tomatoes. When the orzo is done cooking drain and return to the pot you cooked it in. Add one tablespoon of olive oil, basil, tomatoes, salt, and pepper and stir. If you have one, put the top on the pot; iotherwise cover the bowl to heat the tomatoes through. Set aside until the chicken is finished cooking.

6. Plate the chicken and orzo. I dipped my chicken in dijon mustard and Kenny dipped his in hot ketchup.

This is Kenny's plate... he really loves chicken! Mine is in the back corner with much more orzo. We were both very happy with this dish.