Greetings my fellow foodies,
Ahhh, the French Classic Chicken Cordon Bleu. (Chicken stuffed with swiss cheese and ham). It is something that most people only order in restaurants , or eat as frozen entree when cooking dinner at night seems a little bit too lofty a goal. But, I would like to tell you that this is actually not a hard meal to prepare. Or, at least, the way I prepare it isn't hard!
This is my version that I have adapted from recipes and just eating it the darn thing for so long! Take your chicken breast and split it long ways down the middle with out separating it completely. Then, beat the daylights out of it with a meat pulverizer until it's nice and thin. I find this step extremely therapeutic for some bizarre reason. Take your cheese, I used what I had on hand which was finlandia swiss, and lay one piece on each side. Then, take your ham, ( I had an applewood smoked ham) and lay that over top of the cheese. Now, here's the only tricky part-Rolling it all up and making sure that the stuff doesn't fall out when you dip it in egg and breadcrumbs. I'm not going to lie to you folks, this is slightly challenging, but one thing I have learned from trying countless recipes is- BE FEARLESS! Never look at a recipe and say, " Oh, I could never make ____." Because- you can! Sure, you might have a few mishaps along the way, but when you make mistakes in the kitchen is when you learn! So go on; try it, and you'll be surprised and impressed with yourself when it actually works out.
So, where was I? Ah, yes. Eggs and breadcrumbs. I'm pretty sure the French make their own breadcrumbs, but they also only work about 2 days a week so they have all sorts of free time on their hands. I on the other hand, work that dreaded 9-5 schedule 5 days a week, so I am not ashamed to say I use the stuff in a jar.
Dip the chicken breasts in egg, let the excess drip off, and then roll in the breadcrumbs.
Heat some butter in a skillet until it starts to bubble, but don't let it brown. I can't really tell you how much butter I used because I pretty much just eyeball it. And, since this is French dish, there really never is too much butter. So don't be shy.
After you browned your stuffed chicken on all sides, pop them in a nonstick oven safe pan, cover them with foil, and bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
After I got those in the oven, I thought about what to make for a side. I had put some potatoes in the oven earlier thinking that I would just have baked potatoes on the side, but then I had a better idea. Twice baked potatoes! I hadn't had them in forever, and they sounded incredibly good. All I did was split them down the middle, scoop out the insides, and then mash them up with some freshly shredded cheddar cheese, provolone cheese, sour cream and whole milk. But them back in the oven so the cheese gets all melt-y and brown and that's it! I would of liked to of put bacon and chives in them too, but I didn't have any on hand and I really didn't feel like a trip to the store. I cooked up some peas, and voila-dinner was served in the Hatwell house before 7:30 pm on a work night!
We very much enjoyed our dinner while watching our dvr'd episode of Mad Men. Andy boy, was it juicy. ( Both the show and the chicken!)
Sorry I don't have any pictures to share, but I just wasn't in the picture taking mood. I promise to have some for next time.
Cheers and Happy Cooking,
Rosie
