Baked Parmigiana and Panko Crusted Chicken Paillard with Asparagus

I made this dish in the spring when asparagus was in season. You can make a very satisfying dish in one Pyrex dish. I prefer to prepare the chicken paillard style by cutting the breasts in half and pounding them thinner. You will have more flavorful poultry this way. We used the asparagus as a rack for the chicken to cook on. This allows the chicken coating to stay crunchy, and the chicken's drippings add more flavor to the asparagus. It was a very flavorful dish we would make on many occasions.

• 1 lb Asparagus
• 1 Lemon juice and zest
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Cloves chopped garlic
• 1 Tablespoon dried herbs of choice. We used oregano and Mexican tarragon from last season's garden.
• ¾ Cup parmesan
• 1 ½ Cup croutons
• 4 Chicken breasts
• Olive oil

Preparation 15 Minutes Cook Time 60 minutes Portions 4-8

1. Set oven to 350 degrees.
2. To make the parmesan bread crumbs, start by placing the garlic cloves into the food processor and crop thoroughly. Then, do the same with the zest of one lemon. Finally, chop the croutons and dried herbs. You do not have to use croutons. Another substitution is prepared bread crumbs. You can easily make up your own breadcrumbs in a pinch with dried-out bread and Italian seasoning.
3. Trim the ends off of the asparagus. Place the asparagus in the 9x12 inch Pyrex dish or something equivalent. Drizzle it with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the asparagus.
4. Slice all the chicken breasts like a butterfly, then pound them out with a meat tenderizer to make them evenly thick. Bruch both sides with olive oil and coat them with the breadcrumb mixture.
5. Lay each coated breast over the asparagus and overlap slightly if necessary.
6. Bake for 45 minutes and then serve.