A few weeks ago, in anticipation of getting a few days off from work over the holidays, and finally realizing that it was just too late (and expensive) to book a getaway to some place warm, I started planning what I was going cook!  I scoured the internet and my recipe books and finally decided on Chicken Cordon Bleu.  While I’ve made chicken breasts with other kinds of stuffing, I’d never tried making this traditional dish before.  Along with Oven Roasted Broccoli, I made this on Christmas Eve.  Your guests will be impressed and they’ll never know how easy it was to make!

I found quite a few recipes but decided to try this one from My Recipes because I already had most of the ingredients on hand.  I made a couple of changes – I had Black Forest ham, so used that instead of prosciutto, and I substituted Swiss cheese for the mozzarella.

(Adapted from My Recipes)

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU (Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup warm chicken broth
5 tsp melted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tsp paprika
 4 (6-oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of ham
4 slices of Swiss cheese
butter for coating baking dish
4-8 toothpicks (optional)

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.  Place broth in a medium shallow bowl; stir in butter and garlic.

3.  Combine breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano and paprika in another medium shallow bowl; set aside.

4.  Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

5.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, oregano, and pepper.

6.  Top each breast half with 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of Swiss cheese. Roll up each breast half jelly-roll fashion.

7.  Dip each roll in chicken broth mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

8.  Place rolls, seam side down, in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with butter.  Secure rolls with toothpicks, if needed.  Pour remaining broth mixture over chicken.

9.  Bake at 350°F for 28 minutes or until juices run clear and tops are golden.