Chicken Cordon Bleu & Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce

I made this for the first time last night and HOLY COW it was soooooo good. I plan on making this over and over again. Don't mind the poorly lit picture - did you know the sun is going down way to fast for my liking? Sheesh, anyway, I love this meal, make it, you'll love it too.

INGREDIENTS:

(makes 4 large servings)

25 Ritz crackers

4 slices sandwich bread

6 tbsp butter, melted

8 thin slices deli ham

2 cups shredded Swiss or 8 slices Swiss

4 thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

3 large eggs

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 cup all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Pulse crackers and bread in a food processor until they are coarsely ground. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to incorporate. Transfer the crumbs to an aluminum foil lined, rimmed baking sheet.  Bake in the preheated oven for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the the crumbs are lightly browned. Transfer the crumbs to a shallow baking dish. Leave the oven on. 

Lay 2 ham slices on a cutting board and top with 2 slices of cheese or 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Next, roll the ham up over the cheese, do this four times and set aside.

Pat dry the chicken breasts and cut a pocket in the thickest part of the chicken. Stuff each pocket with a ham and cheese roll and then fold the chicken over the rolls and press to seal. You can use a toothpick to gently secure the edge. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the stuffed chicken for about 20 minutes.

In another shallow dish beat the eggs and mustard. Place the flour in a third shallow dish. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. One breast at a time coat chicken in flour, then dip in the egg mixture and finally dredge the chicken in the breadcrumbs, pressing lightly to help the crumbs stick (the breaded chicken can be refrigerated, covered for up to 1 day).

Transfer the chicken to a greased, aluminum foil lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bake on the lowest rack until the chicken is browned (10 minutes). Then move the chicken to the middle rack and reduce the temperature to 400 degrees. Bake until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through (160 degrees on a thermometer). Approx. 25-30 minutes. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving. 

*Start cooking sauce while chicken bakes (see notes)

Notes: 

The amazing flavor of this dish stands alone but if you'd like to add a little more flavor to this already delicious meal try out the Parmesan- Dijon cream sauce. It doesn't hurt that some of this yummy sauce happen to spill over to my cauliflower-broccoli-carrot steamed vegetables. Mmmm.

Recipe: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp chicken bouillon granules (or 1 cube, crushed)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the flour, whisking constantly while cooking the butter/flour mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk and continue whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire and Parmesan cheese. stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken finishes baking.

This sauce was wonderful over the chicken and when it hit my pile of steamed veggies...to die for. 

Recipe: Mel's Kitchen Cafe