Chicken Cordon Bleu

I love chicken cordon bleu, it's such a simple dish but yet so rich and complex with flavors. Chicken cordon bleu is actually my family's traditional Christmas dinner, but I think it's perfect any time of the year. With this recipe I used fontina cheese and deli honey ham inside the chicken. I also changed it up a little bit by folding the chicken in half and pan frying it rather than rolling the chicken and baking it in the oven. I like to give the chicken a little pan fry in this recipe because it adds such a nice crispiness to the recipe and I just love when cheese gets a little burned on the edges and crispy. 

Though chicken cordon bleu traditionally is made with ham and swiss cheese it can easily be altered to adapt to your taste or even if you're just in the mood to try something new. I prefer the swiss cheese version but my husband is not the biggest fan, swapping the swiss for another mild cheese like fontina is a great solution for this. Either way you choose to do it, you can't be a recipe like this.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes     I     Cook Time:

Ingredients:

• 4 thinly sliced chicken cutlets
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 egg 
• 1/4 pound deli sliced honey ham
• 1/4 pound swiss or other mild cheese sliced thin
• toothpicks

Whisk the egg in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl pour the bread crumbs into and dip your chicken cutlets into the egg coating both sides and then into the bread crumbs coating both sides evenly.

Lay the breaded cutlets on a flat surface and place ham and cheese over the top of the chicken keeping it approximately an 1/8 of an inch away from the edges. Fold the chicken over and secure in place with a toothpick. 

Heat up a little oil in a frying pan and place the chicken cutlets inside covering the pan to keep the heat in so the insides will cook faster. Cook the chicken about 5-7 minutes on each side over medium heat until they are nice and golden brown and the chicken is firm. If you're not sure if they are cooked you can always use a knife to cut a small piece in the chicken to ensure it is fully cooked.