Chicken Cordon Bleu: SHV

I worked at a restaurant years ago that served this (I say served, not made, because they came premade and frozen); I cannot even count how many I had. Not only did I love the chicken itself, but it came with this amazing mushroom cream sauce that I am going to try and recreate from memory. Between that, baked potatoes and rye whiskey, I've got most of my mid-twenties weight gain sorted out. Here is the somewhat healthier version:

You will need:

4 bone-in chicken breasts, over a pound
4-8 slices lean deli ham, about 80-100 g
4 slices swiss cheese, although a light Havarti or light Monterrey Jack would work
1/2 c flour (I am using whole wheat whole grain, but all-purpose would work too)
Salt, pepper, thyme
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 c 1 % milk
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
Oil spray
1 tsp olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 small onion, grated or finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 lb mushrooms
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 c white wine
2 c chicken broth
1/2 c homogenized milk or whipping cream

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Next, prep! I recommended bone-in chicken breasts because they tend to be bigger. Also, you can save the raw bones for stock, they are the best for jelly. I will explain when I do a stock / soup post. Cut as close to the bone as you can, including the tender.

Helloooo chickie

Start pulling up the skin slowly

Slice under the skin, follow along the membrane

Nekkid!

I am cutting the tender off to make chicken strips for the kiddos:

Set up your dipping stations: stir the 1\4 1% milk with the mustard, add some salt and pepper to your flour and throw some thyme into your breadcrumbs.

Grate or chop your onion finely but don't press your garlic just yet, save that for the pan. Wipe your mushrooms and slice thinly.

Now we start! Once you have your chicken off the bone, there are two ways to prepare this chicken. You can choose whichever works best for you; I will demonstrate both. For the first, put the a chicken breast between two pieces of plastic. I like to use those thick Ziploc freezer baggies, but only when I am ready to throw them out because I am cheap and they are not. Start to pound the chicken, working from the centre towards the edges, until it is about half an inch thick all over.

De-tendered

Ziploc baggie pounding

The other method is to butterfly. You want to find the centre of the breast, slide a sharp knife in a parallel line, scraping along gently until one side is open like a flap.

Focus on the other side and do the same, opening it up like a book on each side.

Either way will work. Depending on how comfortable you are with a knife, or how much you like to work off some aggression with a mallet (say because your 4-year-old is STILL not listening and is picking at his brother ALL DAY. AGAIN. Hypothetically) you just need a flat, wide chicken breast.

Save these for stock - trust me!

Season your chicken with a little salt and pepper, lay on one or two slices of ham and then a slice of swiss cheese.

Starting at the longest edge, start rolling up the chicken carefully keeping the ham and cheese in the middle until you can fold one side over the other.

Pin with toothpicks, set aside and do the rest.

Dip the chicken in the flour, then the Dijon mixture, then roll in the bread crumbs.

Place on the cookie sheet, seam side down and spray with oil. Bake for 45-50 minutes, flipping and spraying halfway.

Meanwhile, sauce! Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan, sauté the grated onions for 3-4 minutes, until almost softened. Crush the garlic into the pan and cook for just one more minute. Add in the mushrooms and thyme, cook for 4 more minutes.

Deglaze with the wine, stirring with a flat edge to scrap up all the browned bits on the bottom.

When the wine is gone, add in the chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce and cook, uncovered, until you can drag a wooden spoon across the centre and it leaves a trail, about 8-10 minutes.

Add in the milk and cook for 3-5 more minutes, stirring until smooth and fully blended.

This came in at 350 calories per serving; I am adding a roasted potatoes and some steamed veggies and bam! Right around 500!

Enjoy!