Chicken Cordon Bleu

I’ve been sick all week so I’m playing catch-up with some of my dinners this weekend. First up is my chicken cordon bleu – basically, bacon and cheese stuffed breaded chicken. It sounds fancier than it is, so don’t get scared by the name!

This was a hugeeeee hit with my husband and both my girls (3 years old and 8 months old). Even I was pleasantly surprised with how good this was. The prosciutto (or bacon in my case) keeps the chicken super moist and the panko makes it taste fried without actually frying it.

My one big tip when making this: you have to really make sure you pound the chicken flat because when you roll it, you don’t want it to be too thick or it won’t cook.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Servings: 4
Time: 50 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
4 thin slices prosciutto
1/2 pound smoked apple Gruyere, grated
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.
Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay 2 slices of prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the breast and sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the prosciutto. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight to form a nice log. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper, and melted butter. The butter will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and season so the flour, the eggs and the crumbs are all seasoned.
Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs.
Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the roulades onto it. Bake for about 30 minutes until browned and cooked through.
Cut into pinwheels and enjoy!