Not to be outdone by her husband, my sister in law has shared some blog worthy recipes over the years. She also worked for Perdue, so chicken was often on dinner rotation. Ever since making recipe this together many moons ago, it’s still one of my favorites.
I think that people might be afraid of making Chicken Cordon Bleu, incorrectly assuming it’s time consuming or difficult. While there are a few steps, none are too difficult to complete. This is a classic French recipe, made by the likes of Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. It’s been around forever because it’s good, and because it’s hard to find anyone who won’t eat or who won’t want to eat Chicken Cordon Bleu.
Depending on the width of your chicken breast, you might have to pound the breasts. You don’t want them to thick or they will take forever to thoroughly cook. And no one wants to get salmonella from your undercooked chicken cordon bleu.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
6 boneless, skinless Chicken Breast (pounded to 1/4 inch thickness)
6 Slices of Ham (or Proscuitto)
6 Slices of Swiss Cheese
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Pepper, divided
2 Eggs, beaten
3/4 cup Breadcrumbs
5 Tablespoons Butter, divided
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup Dry White Wine
2/3 cup Chicken Broth
Lay the chicken breast flat on a piece of plastic wrap (sometimes I put them in a zipped up gallon bag) and pound the chicken into about 1/4 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.
Layer each piece of chicken with 1 slice of ham and a slice of Swiss. Roll the chicken up lengthwise and place seam side down on a baking sheet. You can use toothpicks to secure the chicken. Just be sure you remember to take them out before eating.
Add the eggs to a shallow bowl. In a second bowl, mix the flour, salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. In a third bowl, add the bread crumbs.
Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip the “chicken rolls” in the flour mixture, dip in eggs and then coat with the bread crumbs. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
At this point, Julia Child would recommend putting the chicken in the fridge for an hour to set the breadcrumbs. I personally have not tried this, but need to do so next time. Sometimes I do lose a bit of the breading in the next step.
In a large frying pan, heat 3 Tablespoons of the butter in the oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, turning until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken to a platter, cover loosely to keep warm.
Pour off fat from skillet. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil until reduced to 2 Tablespoons. Add the stock and boil until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Pour over chicken and serve.
*To the best of my ability, I have tried to indicate all ingredients, products and equipment that are available at Johnnies in Bold Print.
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