As part of our “European Vacation” meal week, I was looking for an easy French meal besides Steak Frite. Chicken Cordon Bleu sure sounds French, but according to Wikipedia it is may be Swiss or possibly American. But with Béchamel sauce and a French name, I’m calling it French. I read a lot of recipes before cooking Chicken Cordon Bleu for the first time, and opted for a variation of an “easy” version that butterflied and stuffed the chicken rather than pounding it flat and rolling. I also used chicken tenderloin, originally frozen, because that’s the form of chicken I use for almost everything. Most recipes called for a dip in an egg wash before the breadcrumbs, but I know from my experience cooking breaded chicken that the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken just fine without the egg. And finally, I chose gruyere cheese rather than swiss cheese because it just feels more European and less American that way. Plus I’m not a fan of American “swiss” cheese. I was surprised that this meal won unanimous “yes” votes from my tasting team on the first try. I guess it’s part of the official meal rotation now.
Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dijon Béchamel Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken Cordon Bleu
- 10 chicken tenderloins
- 4 ounces thin sliced ham
- 4 ounces Gruyere cheese shredded
- 3/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- cooking spray
Dijon Béchamel Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups skim milk or whatever milk you prefer
- 4 tablespoons dijon mustard
- garlic salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish by coating the bottom with olive oil.
- Butterfly each chicken tenderloin by slicing almost all the way through horizontally, dividing the thickness in half.
- Open the tenderloin, and fill with a folded slice of ham and a covering of shredded cheese. Close the chicken over the filling and secure with toothpicks. Repeat for the remaining chicken tenderloins.
- Pour Italian seasoned breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl, and dredge each chicken bundle, coating on all sides. Place the chicken into the prepared baking dish.
- Repeat until all the chicken are in the baking dish, then spray the tops lightly with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (at 29 minutes, mine were well cooked and on the verge of drying out).
Dijon Béchamel Sauce
- While the chicken bakes, cook approximately 3 cups of instant rice, and prepare the sauce.
- Begin the sauce by melting the butter in a medium sized saucepan on medium high heat. After the butter melts, add the flour and whisk until well blended and bubbly.
- Add the milk gradually, whisking after each addition. Continue to stir as the sauce heats, eventually bubbling and thickening.
- Add Dijon mustard and garlic salt and pepper to taste.
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