Chicken Cordon Bleu And A Bonus Recipe, Too.

Chicken Cordon Bleu might sound intimidating, but believe me, it isn't. Simply put it is chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, which is a very nice combination. The presentation is on a dinner party level, but it is easy enough to make for a family dinner. Once you have made this a time or two you won't even need to refer to the recipe; you can just assemble a few ingredients and cook! So, let's get on with it . . .

Chicken Cordon Bleu

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
6 slices Swiss cheese
12 thin slices deli ham
2 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. paprika
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4" thick. Place ham and cheese on chicken. Roll up and secure with toothpicks.

Heat butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Dip each roll in egg, then roll in flour mixed with paprika. Cook until all sides of chicken are lightly browned. Transfer chicken to a 9" x 13" baking dish.

Combine cornstarch with heavy cream, then add chicken broth. Add to drippings in the skillet and cook until slightly thickened. Pour over chicken. Cover. Bake 20-25 minutes until chicken juices run clear.

Pull out the toothpicks before spooning sauce over chicken rolls to serve.

A Little Cooking Lesson . . .

Do not skip the pound the chicken step! I use a meat mallet, but if you don't have one you can use the heel of your hand, a skillet or even a rolling pin. The idea is to smack it until it is thin and flat and is much more spread out. Do not pound holes into the chicken just get it thin and flat. It should be somewhere between 1/8" and 1/4" thick. 

Lay the 2 slices of ham out overlapping and put the cheese slice in the center. Now fold the edges over to enclose the cheese. Place the wrapped cheese in the center of the flattened chicken and fold the sides of the chicken over the ham/cheese slice then roll from one end to the other. The ham/cheese should be enclosed completely. Now use a couple of toothpicks to hold this all together. You could also tie it with string if you would rather, but I find the toothpicks work well. Repeat for all 6 chicken breasts.

Heat the butter and the olive oil:  using the two together is perfect! Butter gives a fantastic rich flavor, but used alone it will burn. The olive oil has a much higher smoke point and tempers the butter so used together you will get the flavor of the butter without it browning too much. How nice!

Put the beaten eggs in one bowl and mix the flour and paprika in another. Dip first in the egg, then in the flour. The egg sort of glues on the flour. Don't crowd the skillet. Give the chicken some room to breathe as they brown. Doing 3 at a time is better than shoving them all in on top of each other. These will not be cooked through, simply browned on the outside to develop some flavor. 

After pouring the sauce over the chicken rolls be sure to cover the dish. If your dish doesn't have a cover, use some foil, but covering will keep it all nice and moist. 

Oh, such a yummy chicken dish! Serve it along with a nice green salad, and your choice of rice, potato or bread. Add a beverage and some great company at your table and you have a dinner to savor.

Bonus Recipe!

This is an add on because I don't want to forget about it! The last time I had dinner with some great friends one of their children requested deep fried shrimp. Since I hadn't made this for years and years, maybe never, actually, I had to go on a recipe hunt and oh, boy, I found a good one! Japanese Style Deep Fried Shrimp.

You can find the recipe here and follow the directions. In honor of Fish Fry Lenten Fridays, try this recipe! I can hardly wait for a reason to make it again.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Japanese-Style-Deep-Fried-Shrimp/Detail.aspx

For this dish, put the flour in one bowl, the eggs in the second bowl and the bread crumbs in the third bowl. The flour first dries up the shrimp so the eggs will stick. The eggs then glue on the bread crumbs. It all works so nicely! Be sure to use the Panko style bread crumbs for the most crunch. 

Always enjoy good food!