Before I began writing this post to the blog, I had the impression that Chicken Cordon Bleu was a chicken dish of French origin. Given that my rendition of the dish is a little different then how Chicken Cordon Bleu is normally prepared, I thought a little research on the topic of this post was worth a few minutes of my time.
Chicken Cordon Bleu a la Americana
Much to my surprise, the first references to Chicken Cordon Bleu are here in the United States in the mid 1960’s. The direct translation of ‘chicken cordon bleu’ is ‘chicken blue ribbon’. My liberal use of Bing Translator converts “Chicken Cordon Bleu qui est Facile a Faire” to mean “Chicken Cordon Bleu that is Easy To Make”, or something like that.
Chicken Cordon Bleu is traditionally prepared by butterflying or with a kitchen mallet / tenderizer beating the life out of the breast until it is thin. Then you are to add a slice of ham and a slice or wedge of soft cheese to the center, roll the breast around the ham and cheese, stick it with a toothpick, dip in an egg wash, cover with bread crumbs and then either bake or fry. There are also numerous references to making either a mushroom or cream sauce in which to top the cooked Chicken Cordon Bleu prior to serving.
I am confident that this style of preparation is very tasty, nice and moist, but I also have six or more baked breaded chicken cutlets in the refrigerator that are waiting to be used. It has been a few years since I first developed this version of Chicken Cordon Bleu and to this day it is still a favorite for dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 Breaded Chicken Cutlets per Person
- 1 to 2 Slices of Deli Ham depending upon the thickness
- 1 to 2 Slices of Baby Swiss Cheese depending upon the dimensions of the cheese
Instructions:
- If the breaded chicken cutlets have not just been made, remove from the refrigerator in order to remove the chill from the cutlets.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Place the breaded chicken cutlets on either parchment paper or aluminum foil on a baking tray and place in the oven for about 5 minutes. You want to remove the chill from the cutlet but not start cooking the cutlet so it turns into chicken jerky. You could also lightly cover the cutlets with aluminum foil to keep them from dying out as they are warmed in the oven.
- Once the cutlets have been heated, remove the tray from the oven.
- Place the ham on top of each heated breaded chicken cutlet. Create some folds so as to not make it look to flat and layered.
- Place the breaded chicken cutlets with the ham back in the oven for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Remove the breaded chicken cutlets from the oven and place the Baby Swiss Cheese on top of the heated ham.
- Switch the oven to Broil
- Place the tray of chicken parmesan on the top rack of the oven.
- About 5 minutes later the cheese should be nicely melted and has begun to bubble.
- Remove from the oven and serve with accompanying side dishes.
Suggested Side Dishes:
- Steamed vegetables lightly tossed with Olive Oil, Salt and Black or Crushed Red Pepper. See: Steamed Broccolini – Italian Style
- Risotto. See; Risotto with Portabellas and Asiago
- Canned Corn (Yes, I know but it does go well with the meal.)
- Mashed Potatoes
