When I was little, my grandpa’s wife made chicken cordon bleu and my life was never the same. Truly. That dish made me yearn for the finer dishes in life and I loved it so much, we served it at our wedding. By today’s standards it might be a little old school but I’ve always said you should know the classics so you can garner inspiration for new twists.
This is a great dish for a dinner party or just dinner on a Thursday. If you’ve never made it before, give it a try, it’ll easily become your new favorite!
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Notes
Play with seasonings and cheese to create your own favorite combo!
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 4 ounces thin sliced ham
- 2 slices swiss, bleu or havarti cheese
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water
- 1 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Tools needed:
- Toothpicks
- 2 dishes for dredging
- 13x9 dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- You’ll need 2 chicken breasts, 2 slices of swiss, bleu or Havarti cheese and 4 ounces total of thin sliced ham.
- Slice the chicken breast in half but not all the way through. You need a deep enough cut to be able to fill it properly.
- Taking 2 ounces of ham, place the slice of cheese on top and fold it in half.
- Place the ham open side into the breast first.
- Secure the ham into the breast with a sturdy toothpick.
- Now it’s time to coat the chicken.
- Beat one egg with 1 tbsp of water and place in a container big enough to fit the chicken breast.
- I prefer to use unseasoned panko and season it myself. I used 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Then give those spices a stir to incorporate or use seasoned bread crumbs if you prefer.
- Before dredging the chicken, I like to blot the chicken as dry as possible.
- Dip both sides of the chicken breast into the egg wash coating it thoroughly.
- Then place it into the panko and press lightly. When you flip it over, sprinkle the panko on any spots that may not have been fully coated.
- Tap off any excess and put into a 13x9 pan with or without a rack. Repeat with the other chicken breast and as the panko begins to run low, shake the pan to even out the crumbs so the breast gets thoroughly coated.
- Bake 8-10 ounce breasts at 450 for 25 minutes and 6-8 ounce breasts for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.