Main Dish
Chicken Cordon Bleu

The words Cordon Bleu conjure up images of fancy cooking school and haughty French chefs. But in reality, this cheesy stuffed chicken dish is a cinch to make at home.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to grease the pan
• 1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 thin slices Swiss cheese
• 4 thin slices baked ham

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil. Place the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl and set aside.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken between 2 pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap and, using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound to ¼-inch thickness. Generously season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. On each breast, layer 2 slices of cheese and 1 slice of ham.
3. Tightly roll up each breast and secure with a toothpick. Drizzle the breasts lightly with olive oil and roll them in the bread crumbs to lightly, but evenly, coat. Place chicken, seam side down, into the prepared baking dish and transfer to the oven. Bake until browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes. To serve, remove the toothpicks and slice crosswise. Serve hot.

Yields: 4 Servings

Cooking Tip: This is the basic cooking technique for stuffing a chicken breast. Experiment with some of your favorite ingredients. For an Italian twist, I like to substitute prosciutto, spinach, and mozzarella.

Do Ahead: The chicken can be prepped the night before, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated.

Freezes Well:  This dish also freezes well uncooked. Wrap each breast tightly in plastic wrap and then in a layer of foil before freezing. Thaw before baking.

Taken with permission from Reluctant Entertainer, The:Every Woman's Guide to Simple and Gracious by Sandy Couglin.

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