209. Chicken Cordon Bleu -- little bundles of chicken covered in crispy wonderfulness with swiss cheese oozing from the center when cut open. Yum! I love chicken prepared this way. It always seemed like an impossible way to prepare chicken. But then I tried it, and realized, it is not hard at all. The beauty of chicken is that it will take on any shape you desire. And you can shape or coach it to go the way you would like. If you can find chicken breasts already flattened, or if your butcher will flatten them for you, that is half the work.
I mixed my recipe up a bit and used crisp bacon strips and mozzarella cheese. Because ham and swiss cheese were not in my fridge, and because I didn't want to run to the store, I tried it. And we were not disappointed.
4 chicken breasts, flattened
1 cup flour
2 cups plain bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten with 1/4 cup milk added
1/2 pound bacon, fried crisp in strips
swiss cheese, or other cheese, cut in thick chunk
salt/pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Place three shallow bowls on your work surface. In the first place the flour, in the second place the egg and milk and beat together and in the last bowl place the bread crumbs, salt and pepper and garlic salt.
On the underside of each piece of chicken place two slices of bacon and cheese into the center.
Fold the sides of the chicken over the bacon and proceed to roll chicken into a log. Use a toothpick to hold chicken together. Dredge chicken in flour first.
Last, roll the moistened chicken in the bread crumbs. Pack the crumbs tightly around the chicken and shape the chicken into a small little bundle.
Continue to saute on low for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Some cooks do the initial browning and then place the chicken in a baking dish to bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. I find that the chicken dries out and looses much of its juices.
When you cut into the chicken you will be delighted at the pool of cheese that will ooze from the center!
"Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing."
~Walt Kelly
