Chicken Cordon Bleu

What a delicious treat we had last night! Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of those meals that I've always put off making, it seemed like a lot of work. Not so! I was pleasantly surprised at just how easy it was, all the sides were probably more work than the chicken itself, lol.


Chicken Cordon Bleu
5 Chicken breasts
5 slices Swiss cheese
5 slices ham
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp paprika

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chicken broth (or wine)
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream

Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/2" thick, maybe a little thinner. 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. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces. (I recommend first dipping the chicken in a lightly beaten egg)

Heat the oil and butter in a skillet (I use cast iron) and fry the chicken on all sides until brown, about 10 minutes. Now bake the chicken in the oven at 350F for another 20-30 minutes. While the chicken is baking you can prepare the sauce, I like to use the same pan that I fried the chicken in. I remove most of the fat but leave all those little fried "crusties" in the pan, adds more flavour!

Mix the cornstarch with about half of the chicken broth, set aside. Add the heavy cream, chicken bouillon, and remaining chicken broth to your pan. Stir and bring to a boil, slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture to the cream. I found the I didn't need the full tbsp of cornstarch so just eyeball it. Let this simmer for a minute or two and spoon this over the chicken when it's done.

This meal is great served with broccoli and stuffed potatoes.

*Note: The recipe I used said to use flour and the paprika for the coating, but you could use bread crumbs or whatever combination you like to use when breading chicken.

Enjoy!
Tina