Chicken Cordon Bleu

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 chicken breasts
• 8 slices swiss cheese
• 4 slices ham (virginia baked ham)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup dry wine
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry basil (crushed)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup canola oil or 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
• 1 cup whipping cream (heavy) (optional)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (use more if needed)
• crushed parsley flakes (optional)
• fresh kale (optional)

Recipe

• 1 rinse chicken breasts with cool water.
• 2 slightly pound chicken if they are too thick. (the ideal thickness is about 3/8 inch.).
• 3 cut cheese and ham slices to the appropriate size and fit in the middle of the chicken breast (using the non-smooth side).
• 4 leave about 1/2 inch of space from the edges of the breast.
• 5 fold edges of chicken over top the ham and cheese and secure thoroughly with toothpicks.
• 6 (tip: use as many toothpicks as necessary to securely hold chicken together without exposing the ham and cheese filling.).
• 7 thoroughly mix together all the ingredients for the breading in a medium size bowl and set aside.
• 8 prepare another (small) bowl with the 1/2 cup of milk and set aside.
• 9 using a medium sized skillet (that has a lid), completely melt 1 tablespoon of butter using medium heat, and then add the oil (either vegetable or canola).
• 10 turn the skillet temperature to a medium-high setting, and allow a few minutes to raise the temperature.
• 11 individually take each filled chicken breast and submerge in the milk and then transfer to the breading mixture.
• 12 throughly coat each side of the breast carefully without unsecuring the chicken breast.
• 13 lightly shake off excess breading and carefully place each breast in skillet.
• 14 cook about 3-4 (or more if needed) minutes per side until golden brown.
• 15 (tip: if chicken is browning fast you may want to reduce the temperature. we want to make sure that the chicken is cooking on the inside as well.).
• 16 remove golden brown chicken breasts from skillet and place on a plate on top of a few paper towels to absorb excess oil.
• 17 turn off heat to skillet.
• 18 drain oil from skillet into an appropriate container (ex. ceramic bowl; refrain from using metal, it will get extremly hot) to cool.
• 19 wash skillet off to use again.
• 20 using the skillet, completely melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.
• 21 mix together 1 cup dry wine and 1 1/2 tablespoons of chicken bouillon (powder) using a wire whisk, and pour into skillet with the melted butter.
• 22 turn the setting to high, for the skillet, to heat until it starts to boil.
• 23 place the golden brown chicken breasts back into the skillet, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 20 minutes.
• 24 mix together the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside until chicken breasts are finished cooking.
• 25 when 20 minutes has passed, remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and place on a serving platter. (leave liquid in the skillet).
• 26 turn heat setting to medium-high and add the sauce mixture, stirring continuously.
• 27 heat until thickened, which takes a few minutes.
• 28 (tip: if sauce is not thick enough for you, mix together some cornstarch and water together in a small bowl, using a wire whisk, and apply the mixture sparingly to the sauce mixture in the skillet.).
• 29 turn heat off and spoon sauce over top of the chicken breasts.
• 30 top with parsley flakes and garnish with kale on the sides to decorate the dish.
• 31 enjoy!