Chicken Cordon Bleu

This recipe serves 4 but can easily be cut in half or doubled, depending on what you need. I usually serve with a simple steamed veggie and either rice or potatoes. Also, Swiss cheese is the usual cheese of choice for Chicken Cordon Bleu, but I almost always have Provolone in the house so I skip the Swiss and substitute with Provolone. My only advice to the recipe is to spray the wire rack with oil or cooking spray, otherwise you'll lose half of your breadcrumbs.   Lastly, I just got one of those Misto olive oil sprayers (love it!) and I skipped the oil in the breadcrumbs and lightly sprayed the chicken rolls just before putting them in the oven instead. They browned up very nicely!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

8 thin slices of deli ham

8 slices of Provolone cheese (or Swiss)

about 1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, dried out/toasted in the oven (panko can be substituted)

2 tsp. fresh thyme 

2 eggs

2 tsp. water

2 tsp. olive oil

S&P

kitchen twine or toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350. Place flour in a shallow dish (or on a large piece of parchment paper) and season with S&P.  Place breadcrumbs in a second shallow dish and toss with thyme, olive oil, and S&P. In a third shallow dish, lightly beat eggs and water. Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch thick. Layer 2 pieces of ham and 2 pieces of cheese on the back of each piece of chicken. Carefully roll up each chicken breast and squeeze to seal. Dredge the rolled chicken in flour, patting off excess, then dip in egg wash, then in breadcrumbs. Tie each chicken roll with twine or seal with toothpick. Place the chicken rolls on a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet. Bake for 25 or so minutes, until cooked through.