Chef it up, yo!

I don’t have much to say on this one. It is simple and delicious and you will be done cooking it and eating it in about an hour and fifteen minutes.

What’s it all good about? Well I will tell you that Cordon Bleu literally translates as “blue ribbon” in French, and originally in French culinary tradition, it referred to an award given to women chefs for culinary excellence. I think that speaks volumes. Need I say more? J’ai d’autres chats à fouetter…

I initially spotted the Cordon Bleu recipe on the Food Network Web site but as always (as you know by now), I took the liberty of bastardizing it a bit. Customization and modification, that’s the way I roll. So if you want OG (original gangsta) go to the Food Network and download their version of the recipe, but if you want the “Real Deal Holyfield” then stick around and see for yourself. My monkeying around with cuisine tends to reign supreme.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 double chicken breasts (about 7-ounces each), skinless and boneless
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 thin slices Sara Lee Honey ham
• 16 thin slices Swiss cheese
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (dried thyme may be substituted, use less)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Take care not to pound too hard because the meat may tear or create holes. Lay 2 slices of cheese on each breast, followed by 2 slices of ham, and 2 more of cheese; leaving a 1/2-inch margin on all sides to help seal the roll. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll. Squeeze the log gently to seal.

Season the flour with salt and pepper; spread out on waxed paper or in a flat dish.

Mix the breadcrumbs with thyme, kosher salt, pepper, and oil. The oil will help the crust brown.

Beat together the eggs and water, the mixture should be fluid.

Lightly dust the chicken with flour, and then dip in the egg mixture. Gently coat with the bread crumbs. Carefully transfer the roulades to a baking pan and bake for 20 minutes until browned and cooked through. Slice into pinwheels before serving.

This recipe was modified by Paula A. Currie for www.chefitupyo.com. The original recipe can be found on www.foodnetwork.com “Chicken Cordon Bleu”.

Here is what I served along with it.

Roasted Potato Wedges

Ingredients:

• 2 medium size Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.

Cut potatoes lengthwise into ½-inch thick slices (I like to call them wedges). Place potato wedges on the baking sheet and spray them with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes until potato wedges are golden brown and tender.

This recipe was created by Paula A. Currie for www.chefitupyo.com.

(click on images to enlarge)

Methane Meter took it upon itself to say:

Download or print recipe here:
Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe (PDF 21.1 kb)
Roasted Potato Wedges Recipe (PDF 19.5 kb)

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 3rd, 2007 at 10:10 pm and is filed under Chicken, French. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.