Chicken Cordon Bleu
Makes approx. 6-8 Servings
Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts
8 Slices, Provolone Cheese
8-12 Slices, Prosciutto or Ham
1 Cup, Italian Breadcrumbs
1 Cup, Panko Breadcrumbs
1/2 Cup, Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, grated
3 Eggs
Spinach Salad:
1-2 cup – 1 cup (per person), Fresh Spinach Leaves
1 package, Strawberries, cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/4, Purple Onion, very thinly sliced
1 Ear, Corn on the Cob *cooked & cut off cob
1 small package, Cherry Tomatoes, cut in 1/2
Drizzle, Olive Oil
Drizzle, Balsamic Glaze
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
If chicken is large, cut them in half. Place each piece of chicken between plastic wrap or in a plastic bag. Using a meat mallet, pound out the chicken until thin (turning chicken several times to work on both sides). Remove from the plastic, place onto a plate and repeat until all chicken is thinned out.
Setup a dipping station with 2 bowls and fill with the following:
- Bowl 1: Eggs (beaten); season with S&P
- Bowl 2: Panko & Italian Breadcrumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese,
- Plate 3: a slice of the Prosciutto or Ham topped with a slice of the cheese (make the same amount of these as the # of pieces of chicken you have)
Start by dipping chicken into the egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Turn and coat the chicken until it is completely covered. Lay the chicken flat and top with the Prosciutto/Cheese and then roll up the chicken. Place the chicken into the baking dish (seam facing down). Repeat until all chicken is coated, filled and rolled.
Bake in the oven for approx. 25-30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees (cooking time will vary depending on how large the chicken is). Remove the chicken from the oven. Slice the chicken into thick slices and serve with your favorite sides. We served ours with the Spinach & Strawberry salad. It goes great with some wild rice also.
Tips:
For the cheese, I love a nice Gruyere in this dish. Since I am the only one in my family that loves that type of cheese I used Provolone which is a bit milder. You can use any of your favorite cheeses. Just be sure it is a cheese that melts well when baked.
Coating the Chicken: typically you would want to dredge the chicken in flour prior to dipping into the egg and breadcrumb mixture. I skipped that step to make this a bit lighter and it is just as delicious!
Cutting the Chicken: You can serve the chicken in whole pieces however, I like to cut them into thick slices and plate them up with your side dishes. By cutting the chicken it goes so much further (most won’t eat a whole piece).