Sunday, September 27, 2009

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon BleuI'm including this recipe for sentimental reasons. It's certainly not haute cuisine but it's what won my husband's heart.

You see we'd just started dating. It was about this time of year, give or take a month, and things were in the early stages. I invited him over for dinner and I decided to pull out all the stops for this guy which meant I put away the Ramen and Prego and whipped up a batch of this trusted favorite from my youth.

I served it up and while we were eating a girl next door came by to deliver a message. Now this particular girl was a cute, perky blond Barbie who had had her eye on my guy for quite some time but when I opened the door and she saw him sitting there eating real food she knew she had to admit defeat. He was mine from then on out.

It's not fancy, unless compared to mac and cheese, but it's quite tasty in a homey way and you can make it up ahead and bake it when you need it quite easily. We had it a while back so I thought it might as well be included here.

four skinless boneless chicken breasts
four thin slices of ham
four cubes of Swiss cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Shake-n-Bake seasoning
1/4 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
toothpicks

for sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon flour
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
dash of salt
dash of pepper
pinch of thyme
dash of Worcestershire sauce

Take each chicken breast and with a piece of plastic wrap over the top pound flat with a kitchen mallet to about 1/4-inch thickness. Lay ham slices, one for each breast, on chicken then add cubed Swiss cheese on each as well. Roll up and secure with toothpicks.

Mix the Parmesan, Shake-n-Bake, salt and pepper and parsley in a bowl and roll each chicken roll in the mixture to coat thoroughly. Bake in a greased pan at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, for sauce melt butter in a saucepan and saute onions and mushrooms until soft. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper then slowly add chicken broth, whisking it to prevent lumps. Bring to boil, stirring and scraping bottom, then cook one more minute. Add thyme and Worchesteshire sauce. When chicken are done drizzle sauce over the top of each roll and enjoy.

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17 comments:

zakkalife said...

I've got to tell you, I was reading this post and my husband walked by. He said "oh, what's that?" I told him Cordon Bleu. Then he said "I like that". I guess it's true, the way to a man's heart really is food ;)

jacjewelry said...

This looks amazing! No wonder it won Andrew over. :)

Stephanie Frieze said...

What a sweet story and yummy looking recipe. Thank you for sharing some of your family mythology. Your kids will tell their kids this story when they make it.

Jenny P. said...

Glad you posted. I'm printing this one out to try this week. :)

Suzie B. said...

Now I know what we're having for dinner! Thanks!

threesidesofcrazy said...

It looks totally scrumptious! YUM YUM
But I bet Andrew was yours before the Chicken!

Patricia L said...

Looks great and sounds easy. Your story reminded me of way-back-when when I made Shepherd's Pie for my husband and thought I was being a culinary wizard... only to find out he didn't like mashed potatoes (he ate it anyway and said it was "great").

aa said...

That looks so yummy and easy to make. I love rolling meat up. Haha, that sound odd...

Daisy said...

Looks good. chicken breasts are a staple in our house; this would be a fun way to prepare them!

Alison said...

Mmmm, it looks good. Perfect for fall, too.

Serena said...

Yum! This looks delectable! And you have such a wonderful story to go along with it!

Melissa B. said...

The first time I "dined" in an "upscale" restaurant, I ordered this dish. I've been partial to it ever since, but have never tried my hand at it. Thanks so much for providing us with such an accessible recipe!

Cathi said...

Hey...you just won my heart with this recipe!!!

Deanna said...

Thanks for this...I just bought chicken breasts on a whim last night. Now I know what I'll be doing with them! My 13 y.o. daughter and my Mom collaborated to make the Root Beer cake for my birthday Friday - it was great! Love reading your site. Thanks again.

Michelle Alley said...

this looks delightfully good! Do you take your own photos of the foods you post on here? You do a great job!

Tamara said...

This looks so yummy! I still want to try the Root Beer cake also. I need to get cookin'.

The Teacher Cooks said...

I enjoyed the post about the Alaska bears. Printed the recipe for the Cordon Bleuto try for my food's class. It looks delicious