1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced into tender size pieces) or chicken tenderloins
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup panko
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 lemons
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1 lb. asparagus
Fresh parsley for topping
1 additional lemon for topping
Honey Lemon Topping:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. honey
2 lemons
Directions:
Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Add flour to a bowl.
Stir together panko, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper in another bowl.
In a third bowl, melt 5 Tbsp. of butter and then add 1 to 2 tsp. lemon zest, 4 Tbsp. lemon juice (or more if you want more lemon flavor), and minced garlic. Stir to combine. Remove 4 Tbsp. of mixture and set aside.
Coat chicken in flour, then dredge through garlic lemon mixture, and then coat in panko.
Place breaded chicken onto baking pan. Repeat. Take any leftover panko mix and sprinkle over the top of the chicken on the pan.
Season chicken with lemon pepper seasoning.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and flip each piece.
Arrange asparagus around the sides of the pan and drizzle with the reserved 4 Tbsp. of garlic lemon mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and toss the asparagus gently.
Slice a lemon or two and place slices on top of chicken.
Bake in oven for another 10 to 12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
While chicken finishes baking, make the honey lemon topping by mixing together butter, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1-2 tsp. lemon zest, olive oil, honey. Season with pepper.
Serve chicken topped with honey lemon mixture and fresh parsley.
Note: if you drizzle with the honey lemon mixture and let it sit, the chicken will get soggy. So it is best to drizzle and then serve immediately. I stored my honey lemon topping separately from the chicken leftovers.