Chicken Cordon Bleu

Instructions

Gather three shallow pie plates or bowls for the coating ingredients. Stir the kosher salt and paprika into the flour in one pie plate. In another, combine the Panko style breadcrumbs with the dried thyme. Lightly beat the eggs in the third pie plate; set all aside.

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Place the butter in an 11” x 8” (2.8-liter) ceramic baking dish. Place the baking dish into the oven as it preheats. The butter should be melted by the time the chicken rolls have been assembled.

Place a single thin chicken fillet, cut-side up, on a large cutting board or clean work surface. Layer 1 slice of ham, followed by 1 slice of Swiss cheese. Roll the chicken lengthwise “jelly-roll style” over the filling ingredients, beginning with the widest-width end and rolling toward the smallest end. Secure the chicken roll with a few toothpicks along the seam of the roll. Repeat with the remaining chicken fillets, ham, and cheese.

Remove the baking dish from the oven. The butter in the baking dish should be completely melted but not yet browned.

Carefully coat each chicken roll with the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Dredge the floured roll through the beaten eggs to moisten the exterior, and then coat the wet chicken roll in the seasoned Panko breadcrumbs. If needed, press the breadcrumbs around the roll to get them to stick.

Place the roll, seam-side up, into the baking dish. Quickly turn the roll over so that the seam side is resting on the bottom of the baking dish, and the top of the roll has been coated with melted butter. Repeat with the remaining chicken rolls until all are breaded and rolled in butter in the baking dish. If the breadcrumbs absorb most of the butter before all chicken rolls are coated in the baking dish, an additional tablespoon or two of melted butter may be drizzled over top of the rolls.

Bake the chicken rolls for 40 to 45 minutes or until the cheese has melted, chicken is cooked through, and breadcrumbs are beginning to brown. Let chicken stand for 5 minutes. Remove all toothpicks securing the rolls prior to serving.

Recipe Notes: Look for thinly sliced, boneless skinless chicken breast fillets in the poultry case or butcher counter of the supermarket. The chicken breasts are thinly sliced lengthwise into two fillets. Buying the chicken already filleted saves preparation time. In the absence of thinly sliced fillets, the chicken may also be cut “butterfly” style, and continuing the cut all the way through to make two fillets. I find that the fillets hold up to rolling over filling better than chicken breasts that have been pounded flat. Please keep careful count of the toothpicks inserted into the chicken rolls to secure them in the oven to ensure that all of the picks are removed prior to serving. Using an equal number of toothpicks in each chicken roll is recommended. Chicken Cordon Bleu is lovely served with freshly steamed vegetables and hot cooked brown rice.