Delicious, juicy chicken stuffed with ham and cheese
If food could be considered paradise, chicken cordon bleu would be the absolute definition. To find paradise, you must go on a journey. Begin by slicing through the gently fried crunchy panko coating to reveal a tender chicken breast. Allow the juices to run onto your plate. Continue and you will find a tender cut of cured ham. It’s wrapped around gooey melted cheese adding the luxurious flavour that brings the dish together. Raise your fork, and you’ve reached bliss. That’s pretty corny but these chicken breasts are really tasty.
Is making chicken cordon bleu difficult?
Chicken cordon bleu is not difficult using this method. With just a relatively small amount of preparation, you are on your way to a delicious main course. It’s also an inexpensive way to put a five star dinner in front of your family with ease. The recipe below is for two chicken breasts. Its super easy to adapt, divide it in half, double it or even triple it. However many you make, it’s not likely there will be leftovers.
What do I need?
The chicken
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp of dijon mustard
- ¼ cup of chopped fresh chives
- 2 deli slices of Black Forest ham (sliced regular)
- 2 pieces of thickly cut mozzarella (0.25″ x 3″)
Panko coating
- ½ cup of plain panic bread crumbs
- pinch of salt and pepper
- ¾ tsp of onion powder
- ¾ tsp of garlic powder
- ¾ tsp of dried parsley or 2 tsp if you’re using fresh
The dredge
- ¼ cup of all purpose flour
- 1 large beaten egg
Set up our preparation area
Its a good idea to set up a breading station because it will speed things up. First you need three bowls and a plate. Put the flour in a bowl for dredging the chicken. Secondly, In another bowl beat the egg. Finally in the third bowl mix the panko bread crumbs and spices. After doing that, transfer the panko mixture to a plate. Give it a shake to spread and flatten it out. This setup makes it easy to dredge and coat the chicken breasts. Set these aside and you’ll be all set when it’s time to coat the chicken.
Prepare the ham and cheese
Now it’s time to prepare the ham and cheese. Super simple if you’ve got deli ham. You don’t want it cut so thick that you can’t fold it. In another breath, you don’t want it super thin either. Just a regular sandwich slice is ideal. Shaved ham won’t work. For this step just lay the ham out flat and put the mozzarella and smoked gouda in the centre. One on top of the other.
Wrap it up like a gift. You don’t want all the cheese oozing out when you bake the chicken. Wrapping it this way helps with that.
This is actually where you can experiment with some of your favourite cheese.
Preparing the chicken breast
With a sharp knife, butterfly the chicken breast. It’s important not to slice all the way through because it’ll make them difficult to wrap. Coat the butterflied portion of chicken with dijon mustard, sprinkle with chives and place the ham and cheese package in the middle. Fold the chicken around the ham and cheese and tie it up with kitchen twine or string. Now you’re ready for the coating.
Coat & Cook the Chicken
Now that the chicken breasts are tied up you can coat them with panko. Roll the chicken in flour and shake off any excess. Next, dip it in egg so that it is fully coated, but allow any excess to drip off. Finally, roll it in the panko mixture so that it is evenly coated. Do the same with the next chicken breast.
You’re just about there, because now it’s time to brown & bake the chicken
Heat up your frying pan and add about 2 tbsp of canola oil. Now would also be a good time to preheat the oven to 350℉. Over medium heat, sear the chicken breasts on all sides. When they are golden brown, remove from heat and place them in a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Put the chicken cordon bleu in the oven preheated to 350℉. They’ll take about 30-40 minutes to fully cook. When you think they’re ready, be sure to check the internal temperature. It should be 165℉. Remove the string and serve.
What to eat with Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken cordon bleu serves very well with rice, asparagus, green beans or a simple salad. Simple lighter sides will allow this rich dish to be the star of the plate.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
The Chicken
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
- 2 slices black forest ham deli-sliced (thin/regular)
- 2 pieces thickly cut mozzarella 0.25" x 3"
- 2 pieces thickly cut smoked gouda 0.25" x 3"
Panko Coating
- ½ cup plain panko bread crumbs
- pinch salt and pepper
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp dried parsley use 2 tsp if using fresh parsley
Dredge
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 large egg beaten
Instructions
Prepare the chicken
- Lay out the chicken breasts on a cutting board. using a sharp knife, butterfly them and open like a book being carefull not to cut all the way through.
- Brush the chicken breasts with a liberal coating of dijon mustard and sprinkle with chives.
- Lay the ham flat on the the counter, stack the mozzarella and smoked gouda on top of each other and place them in the centre of each slice of ham. Wrap the cheese up like two small packages. Place one in the centre of each butterflied chicken breast.
- Fold in both sides of each chicken breast to cover the ham and cheese. Tie and secure each breast with three pieces of kitchen twine
The coating
- In a medium bowl, mix the panko, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and parsley.
- In its own bowl, beat the egg.
Dredge and coat the chicken
- Dust the chicken with flour, dip in the beaten egg and the roll in the panko mixture.
Brown & cook the chicken breasts.
- Heat 2 tbsps of canola oil in a frying pan and sear the chicken breasts on all sides until golden brown. Add more oil if needed. You are not fully cooking them at this stage.
- Put them in a baking dish and cook at 350℉ for half an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165℉
