Chicken Cordon Bleu

"I always think if you have to cook once, it should feed you twice..."

- Curtis Stone

This is a super easy adaptation to a frozen, breaded, rolled up version of Chicken Cordon Bleu my husband fell in love with when we were still dating.  We were still in the trying-to-impress-each-other stage of the relationship, so when I saw how much he loved this I strove to figure it out.  Come to find out is was pretty easy, which is always a plus, and it tasted better than the breaded version.  Just be sure to have a good supply of toothpicks (at least 2 per serving, but up to 4) to hold them together while you get the first side cooked.  By slicing each chicken breast half in half, you extend your feast.  You can either feed more people for less money, or you can save the leftovers for lunch (or dinner) the next day.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

6 chicken breast halves, approximately 2 lbs 

    (thaw if frozen)

6 thick slices deli ham 

    (honey ham is our favorite)

6 thick slices deli baby Swiss cheese

cooking spray

vegetable oil

toothpicks

rice & vegetable of choice 

    (whole grain/wild  & broccoli pair nicely)

1.  Be sure your chicken is completely thawed.  If it is frozen, place in a single layer, cover with wax paper and defrost in the microwave.  The microwave I use has an automatic defroster on it, so I just have to key in the weight of the food.  It will beep when it needs to be flipped.  If yours does not have this function, I would do about 4 minutes per side (for 2 lbs), flip, and 4 minutes on the other side.

This is only 5 of my 6 pieces, I had already begun halving the 6th one before I took this pic

2.  Once it is at least defrosted enough to slice, halve each breast half horizontally so you have 12 breast-sized pieces of chicken.  They may still be partially frozen.  Just pop them back in the microwave on defrost, but set it at half the weight (or time) as you did previously.  This time they should be pretty close to completely thawed.

3.  Once you have them completely defrosted, lay them on a wax-paper and paper towel covered cutting board or cookie sheet.  I did 3 layers of 4 pieces with paper towels in between each layer to help absorb the liquid.  Pat the top layer of chicken dry with paper towels.  This is a good time to get your rice started cooking.

4.  While your chicken rests and dries a bit, slice your ham and cheese in half so you have 12 pieces of each. Keep them handy!

5.  Moving counter clockwise from the bare piece of chicken on the far right, you will top first with a slice of ham.  Fold a slice of cheese in half and place on top of the ham, slightly to one side or the other.  Fold the chicken and ham across the cheese so you have a little bundle.

6.  This is where you start using the toothpicks.  If your chicken is thinly sliced enough to thread the toothpicks like you are sewing the chicken together, that is great.  The first piece I did was the only one that worked out that way.  The rest of them, I just skewered with the toothpicks to make sure the bundle stayed folded over and the cheese was as protected in the middle as I could get it.

7.  Once you have your chicken skewered, spray a large non-stick pan with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat.  Once the pan is hot, add about 1 Tb oil.  Place the chicken bundles in the pan and cook until the bottoms are no longer pink and have begun to brown.  Flip them over and brown the other side.  If the toothpicks are holding the chicken off the pan, just press the chicken down (please use either a fork or pair of tongs so you don't burn your fingers) so it touches the surface of the pan.

8.  After the second side has browned, stand the bundles on their folded sides around the edge of the pan to get the folded area browned and to be sure the chicken is cooked through.

9.  After the folded side has cooked, remove the bundles to a plate.  Most of the cheese should still be inside the bundles, but some of it will inevitably ooze out into the pan.  Just scoop it up and glop it on whichever bundle looks like it needs a little extra cheese.

10.  We served ours with Butter & Herb Rice and macaroni (for the kids).  Just remind everyone to pull out the toothpicks before they start eating.  Alternatively, if you're feeling particularly generous after cooking for everyone, pull the picks out before serving.