Chicken Cordon Bleu was one of the first meals I attempted as a newly
married woman. I had never heard of pounding chicken to make it thinner
and spent a lot of time in the kitchen violently trying to pound out the
chicken and roll all of the fillings up inside. In the end, most of
the cheese and filling leaked out while baking and I was left with a dry
chicken breast. I boycotted chicken cordon bleu since that experience
figuring it was way too much work for me.
When I saw this EASY version of chicken cordon bleu, I thought I would
give the dish one more chance. Yum! You know how most things taste
better when someone else cooks them? Well, this is one dish that I
really enjoyed even though I cooked it myself.
One thing I've learned since I've been in the food world is that people
really look down on using cream of chicken and mushroom soups. I'm not
totally against them; I believe they have a purpose sometimes and make
life easier. But this dish uses a from scratch sauce instead and oh my
gosh - it's to die for! This is a great easy dish for company or just
for your family. It's comfort food at its best.
I followed Mel's advice of using fresh bread crumbs. We are already
doing things the easy way and fresh breadcrumbs make this dish look and
taste gourmet. To make the breadcrumbs I threw the heels of my bread in
my little food processor. You are supposed to use dry bread but in
Florida that's pretty much impossible since it's so humid. My Oreos,
Nillas, and anything that's supposed to stay crisp gets soggy within a
day. You can toast your bread to dry it out if you live in a humid
climate like me.
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Source:
Mel's Kitchen CafeFor the Cordon Bleu:
3
large, thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
length-wise (to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets; you will have 6
total thin chicken breasts)
12 slices good quality deli ham
1 cup bread crumbs (preferably fresh)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound (8 ounces) thinly sliced Swiss cheese
For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
*Note:
Mel saves the heels of her bread and stores them in the freezer until
she needs them then grinds them up quickly in a blender or food
processor.
Directions:
Lightly grease a
9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350
degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set
aside.
Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the
9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top
with slices of Swiss cheese, layering across the chicken breast to make
sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle
the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.
Bake the chicken
for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the
cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.
When the
chicken is almost done, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons
butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly. Cook the flour/butter
mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly.
Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk mixture
constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and
thicken, about 3-5 minutes.
Once the sauce has bubbled and
thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire
sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the
sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. If your sauce is too
thick, whisk in some more milk. If it's too thin, simmer longer.
Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce. Makes 6 servings.
