Chicken Cordon Bleu and Green Beans Almondine

Chicken Cordon Bleu has been on my mind recently. I just love the crispy breaded chicken breast combined with salty prosciutto and cheese. Yum… Cheese. Lately, I’ve been acutely aware that if you don’t like cheese, you probably hate my blog. I’ve kind of got a little thing for cheese. I sure hope you like cheese too.

Chicken Cordon Bleu can be made a number of different ways. The most common procedure involves stuffing or rolling a chicken breast with ham or prosciutto and some type of swiss cheese, then breading and cooking. That approach will work, but I’ve had issues with the cheese oozing out during cooking. I hate to lose even a bit of cheese. So, I’ve come up with a different way of making chicken cordon bleu. I roll prosciutto in chicken breast, bread it, brown it in olive oil until golden brown, and finish the cooking in the oven. While the chicken is baking, I make a basic white sauce, or bechamel sauce, and then melt in some tasty Gruyere swiss cheese. No cheese is lost in the cooking and you get a nice creamy sauce to drizzle over the chicken. And who doesn’t like having a sauce to dip in??

On the side, we’re having green beans prepared my favorite way; sauteed in a bit of olive oil with sliced almonds and a sprinkle of salt. To make things just a smidgen easier, I buy the cleaned and cut fresh green beans, which can be microwaved right in the bag. I typically cook them for less than the recommend time, so they do not become mushy.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 4-6 slices Prosciutto or Ham
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

For the Gruyere Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1 Tbsp Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• Dash of Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup Gruyere (or other swiss cheese), shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pound the chicken breast between plastic wrap until about 1/4 inch thick.

Lay slices of prosciutto or ham on top of the flattened chicken breast. Roll the chicken and tuck in the ends. Season with salt and pepper. Roll each chicken roll in flour. Dip into the lightly beaten eggs. Then, roll in the bread crumbs until well-coated. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Place the chicken rolls in the pan and cook for a minute or two on each side, until lightly browned.

Place the browned chicken into a baking dish. Place the baking dish into the oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Combine butter and flour in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a couple minutes while stirring. It should have a paste-like consistency. This is your roux (roo) which will thicken your white sauce. Scrape the roux from the pan and set aside. Add milk to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Using a whisk, incorporate the roux into the milk until smooth. Simmer for a few minutes until the milk begins to thicken. Season with the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Turn down the heat and add the shredded Gruyere cheese. Stir until melted and smooth.

When the chicken has finished cooking, spoon some sauce over each chicken roll and serve.

Green Beans Almondine

Ingredients

• 1 package Cleaned and Cut, Fresh Green Beans, steamed
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Sliced Almonds
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until almonds just begin to toast. Add the steamed green beans. Use tongs to toss the beans in the oil and almonds.

Cook for a minute or two. Taste and adjsut seasonings if desired.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Green Beans Almondine

If you have any leftover chicken and sauce, it makes an amazing sandwich! Spread the leftover sauce on a ciabatta roll. Slice the chicken. Place the slices onto the roll. Sprinkle a little extra swiss cheese on top, if desired. Wrap it in foil and bake in the oven until heat through. Excellent!