Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• ¼ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 6 chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
• 6 slices of ham
• 6 thin slices swiss cheese
• 8 tsp butter
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

The Chicken

1. Crack the eggs in a bowl for an egg wash.
2. Mix the panko, pepper, and paprika in a bowl
3. Between saran wrap, pound chicken breasts to about a quarter inch thick.
4. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Trim the chicken to fit ham slices if necessary.
5. Roll the chicken tightly (like a jelly roll) over the filling, and secure it with toothpicks.
6. Coat the chicken pieces in the egg and then dredge in bread crumbs.
7. Heat a few tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Adding more butter as needed to keep the pan well-oiled.
8. As the chicken is browned, move it from the pan to a cookie sheet.
9. Move all chicken to a 350-degree oven to finish cooking (approx. 20-25 minutes).

The Sauce

1. Deglaze the pan with the wine, and cook down for a minute, making sure to scrape up all the brown bits.
2. Add the cream and boullion. Simmer for 10 minutes, and add cornstarch to thicken.
3. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter or plate. Slice, sauce, and serve immediately.

Notes

1. Once you have everything set up (egg, panko, pan, cookie sheet), you can move things along like a production line very easily, but you may need a good sous chef to keep you supplied with egg wash and panko.
2. Half breasts may work better for rolling, due to the monster chickens now being produced.
3. When serving, one breast can easily feed two or more people. For a better presentation, slice the chicken into medallions.
4. "Noisy chicken" due to all the pounding to flatten out the chicken.
5. The sauce should hold together nicely when first made but will separate if left for more than 20 minutes... still tastes great though.