Chicken Cordon Bleu

The first thing I thought about when I came across this recipe was the Market Day pick-ups when I was in grade school. I remember that my mom always ordered these when I was young. This is definitely one of my favorite recipes now. The prep and cook time isn't awful but can seem a little overwhelming.

The recipe lists 6 chicken breasts but we only used 5. When you pick the ham out try and get something a little thicker than regular deli slices. If you get too thick of ham, like I did, it will be hard to roll it. Instead of using 6 tbsp. of butter we did 3 tbsp. olive oil and 3 tbsp. butter. That also helps to prevent the butter from burning. We had the chicken bouillon cubes but crushed them up and it worked fine.

- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

- 6 slices Swiss cheese

- 6 slices ham

- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp. paprika

- 6 tbsp. butter OR 3 tbsp. butter and 3 tbsp. olive oil

- 1/2 cup dry white wine (the cheapest is fine)

- 1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules 

- 1 tbsp. cornstarch

- 1 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick(If you get halves, you won't need to). Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. (All you do here is roll it up. We used 2 or 3 toothpicks to make it secure) Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. (Ours took closer to 15-20minutes)
3. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter.(Just leave them in the skillet) Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm. (We ended up leaving the toothpicks in because we couldn't find them after we cooked it. Leave the chicken in the skillet covered and heat off while you wait for the sauce to thicken.)

If you have some time and patience to experiment, I strongly suggest this recipe. We had extra and warmed them in the oven the next day and they were just as good!

Cheers!