The thick sweet/tart sauce in my Loquat and Cranberry Chicken is really wonderful paired with crispy chicken and orzo. This dish looks and tastes like a sophisticated dish you would order in a nice restaurant.
To make the Loquat and Cranberry Sauce, place the loquats and cranberries in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add, water, orange juice, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and stir in the ground ginger and ground cinnamon. Reduce the heat and simmer about 30 minutes, or until the loquats are soft. Stir in the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice and mix well. Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to puree the sauce to your desired consistency. I like to leave some chunks of fruit. Set the sauce aside while you prepare your chicken.
Your chicken breasts should be about ¼ inch thick for this dish. If they are really thick, simply take a sharp knife and slice them horizontally into 2 or 3 fillets. Or, you can pound them with a meat mallet until they are the thickness you want.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper and season lightly with salt and pepper; coat both sides with flour.
Crack the eggs into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Add water and whisk until they are mixed well.
Pour the panko crumbs on a plate.
Take the chicken breasts, which have been coated with flour and dip into the egg mixture, then dredge both sides in the panko mixture.
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Pour ½ of the Loquat and Cranberry Sauce into the skillet, deglaze the pan, scrape up any browned bits and mix well.
To serve, place cooked and drained orzo on a plate, top with a chicken breast and liberally spoon the Loquat and Cranberry Sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley if desired. Enjoy!