Baked Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu Review!

Baked Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu

These are very easy to make and taste great. We all loved them, including Sammy. I didn't seal mine closed tight enough and some of my cheese 

melted out but these are delicious. I will definitely make these again. Before I rolled them in egg and 

crumbs, I put it in the refrigerator for an hour to make it easier to handle. I was afraid these might be dry but they weren't at all. Try these, you won't be sorry. 

Ingredients:

I beat the chicken until it was flat

Makes it easier to roll

I used thin provolone cheese and thin honey ham

I layered each three times and rolled

Then I rolled the chicken around it

 I put these in refrigerator for about an hour to make
them easier to handle for the breading

Beat egg and water

Mix crumbs and seasonings. I used half crushed 

corn flakes and half panko bread crumbs.

Remove from refrig. I rubbed some minced garlic on these.

Roll chicken in egg, then crumbs. I rolled my twice

in each

Put on pan and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. 

Remove and 

Enjoy!

To lower the fat content even more substitute extra lean ham and low fat cheese for the filling; still an outstanding meal.

Recipe:

Serves 4

                4 large chicken breasts, butterfly cut

                6 ounces provolone cheese

                2 cloves finely minced garlic

                1 1/2 cups, bread, cracker or cornflake crumbs

               2 tbsp dried mixed Italian herbs

                6 ounces thinly sliced capicola ham

                egg wash, 2 eggs + 2 tbsp water whisked together 
               salt and pepper to season

Lay each butterflied chicken breast flat. Season with salt and pepper on both sides and rub 1/2 clove minced garlic on the inside surface of the meat. Cut the provolone cheese into 4 sticks and wrap each one in 1 1/2 ounces capicola. Place the ham and cheese in the center of the flattened chicken and fold all sides of the breast meat toward the center to overlap. Flip the breast over so that the overlapped edges are on the bottom. 

Mix the crumbs with the Italian herbs. Dip the stuffed chicken breast into the egg-wash and then into the seasoned crumbs. Place fold side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour or until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 175-185 degrees F on a meat thermometer.

This is the kind of dish that I like to serve at dinner parties simply because it can be prepared well in advance and then popped into the oven before your guests arrive. These were large breasts and still only took about an hour to cook completely. I use a meat thermometer to test the center. While poultry is generally well cooked at 185 degrees F, I almost always cook these to 175 because the center is not chicken but cheese and at 175 degrees F the provolone is melted perfectly while the chicken is not dried out.

I served this with potatoes with garlic and onion with 

olive oil in oven, and sweet corn from garden. 

Delicious meal!

Enjoy!

Lenetta