Chicken Cordon Bleu (origin France)

[kitchenelf]

Chicken Cordon Bleu
A Classic French Dish - Serves 6

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (About 2 pounds)
1/4 pound thinly sliced ham (6 pieces)
6 thin slices of swiss cheese
1-1/2 cups dry breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 eggs
1 Tbls water
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls butter

Place one chicken breast at a time between two sheets of wax paper and gently pound with a mallet untill about 1/4 inch thick.

Place one slice of ham and one slice of cheese on the chicken breast more in the middle. Roll up jelly roll fashion - rolling the longer end rather than the shorter end, which would make the chicken roll larger and in turn making it harder to cook the middle of the chicken.

Combine the bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a bowl.

In a second bowl mix the eggs and water together.

In a third bowl place the flour.

Take your rolled chicken breast and dip it into the flour, then the egg mixture then roll it in the bread crumbs.

Repeat the procedure with the 5 remaining chicken breasts.

Heat your oil and butter in a large (cast iron if possible) skillet over a medium burner.

Add chicken and cook for about 15 minutes turning every 3 minutes or so to prevent burning. When you place the chicken in the pan curve it slightly into a "smile". It will fit the place nicely like this and if you decide to slice before putting on the plate wait about 5 minutes so cheese doesn't run out. The slices can then be fanned out and shaped like the smile also.

When you remove the roll from the pan place on a folded tea towel to drain the oil or just pat dry the oil from the breasts and serve piping hot.

OK - MY NOTES AFTER COOKING - This was VERY good but next time I will pound out much, much thinner (I never made to 1/4" like the recipe called for) and I will put 2 or 3 slices of ham and 2 or 3 slices of cheese on each piece. Probably 2. I salted and peppered the breadcrumbs really, really well and didn't even salt the chicken breast before I loaded everthing on and it was perfect. I kept the cheese towards the middle more and away from the edges. Some started to seep out but didn't completely. I kept the skillet at a saute temperature never reducing it and kept turning to all sides. 4 natural sides developed as I turned the pieces with tongs. I didn't make any kind of sauce this time and probably won't - I felt like it was rich enough the way it was. I will definately make again.

 

[Mylegsbig]

Im going to bump this up because i'd love to make some cordon bleu, and need a little clarification on the rolling up the chicken like a jelly roll part. Ive never rolled a jelly roll... LOL.... also, shape the chicken like a smile? Not sure what it means by this..i kind of do actually, you mean push each end of the chicken out in curves so it resembles a smile? what is the purpose of this? Also, does anyone have any baked chicken cordon bleu recipes i can try, or is this the best one you've all used? Thanks in advance.

 

[jennyema]

OK. Assume you have pounded the breast out so it's 1/4 inch thick.

It will be sort of oval-shaped.

Place it with one of the long sides facing you. Put the ham and cheese on the flattened breast -- in the middle so that they don't hang out over the sides.

Roll the flattened breast up, starting with the long side closest to you and rolling it away from you. You will get a long, thin roll, rather than a short fat roll.

The smile thing is just a suggstion to curve the rolls in the pan, so more will fit easily without crowding.

The link I gave you in the grueyre cheese thread is for a baked version.

Foodtv.com and epicurious have lots of recipes and are easy to search. I usually compare a few to see that they call for before making something.

 

[mateix]

yes but

I think than french people first make a soup and after use the meat chiken.But how you can make it because this meat is very dry and also it is very fat.I tryed make it with beef and I used bechamel and after the flour,eggs,bread.How you can make it if it is very fat and dry?pardon for my poor english,and thanks to all people of this forum.thanks.

 

[mish]

Try rolling up an asparagus spear in the center. YUM!

 

[mateix]

it looks very nice

I didn´t imagine make it with vegetqbles,but looks very nice,thanks.but my question was than they first make some broth with chiken and my question is how slice it,after?I made some bechamel to cover the ham and the cheese,but i made of pork.It is nice your idea of esparragus,it is nice,thanks.pardon for my english;I am building it.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Chicken Cordon Bleu is the topical recipe of this thread and is described in the original post. The other recipes are for Roulaides (FR), or Rouladan (Gmn). Any meat can be used in Rouladen as well as any filling. Both Roulaides and Rouladen are techniques for rolling a meat, be it poultry, pork, or seafood, into a filled roll that can be freaded, but doesn't have to be. Technically, The theme recipe is also a roulaide, but one with a specific filling (ham and swiss cheese). Chicken Kieve is another version of this technique, with the filling comprised of herb butter.

How you make Roulaides, or the more versatile Rouladen is limited only by your imagination. Just make sure that the filling will be cooked to perfection by the time the meat is done. For instance, if you make a stuffed flank steak into Roulladen, you may want the meat to be rare, or medium rare, and cooked on the grill. Then you would probably need to pre-cook the filling, be it shrimp and rice, or aspargus, or even a savory bread dressing. That way you can be sure the meal is safe to eat.

I wonder what a sausage filled rouladen encased in a crust, like Beef Wellington, would taste like. Or even use potatoes, carrots, celery, and butter as the filling for this idea. Just make sure they are diced sufficiently small. Ths is beginnig to sound good. How willing am I to thaw out a flank steak for tonight? More importantly, how willing is my family to wait for it to thaw? Hmmmm .

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[archer_456]

This recipe sounds yummmmmy! One question though, what kind of sauce is normally served ontop or with Chicken Cordon Bleu? Does anyone have a sauce recipe for this?

Thanks, Tony

 

[jennyema]

Usually Chicken cordon bleu is served unsauced.


But I think a mornay sauce would work well. Or other simple white sauce.

 

[ron7200]

This is a catering quantity recipe for a sauce we put on Chix Cordon Bleu. Scale down to your needs

Sauce
2 #10 Cans Crushed Pineapple
1 Pound Brown Sugar
16 Ounces Lemon Juice
3 Teaspoons Cornstarch
1/2 Bottle Sherry
1/2 Pound Butter
While chicken is baking, prepare sauce by combining pineapple, brown sugar and lemon juice. Cook on medium until bubbly, turn down heat to simmer Add cornstarch with water slowly until slightly thick. Add sherry and butter. Serve hot over cooked chicken.

 

[Claire]

I love stories to go with recipes, as opposed to just recipes. And I'll never forget the first time I ate cordon bleu. I was twelve years old, and we lived in Germany. My dad was a sergeant; my best freind's dad was a major. In those days it should have been a barrier to our freindship. But our parents were sensible. Her parents took me out one afternoon to see some roman excavations. It was really something; probably the first time I was truly impressed by history. I'd already loved the castles I'd seen. But somehow those roman ruins really impressed me. On our way back home (Wiesbaden), my freind's father pulled into what was literally a hole-in-the wall. It was a door in a stone embarkment in the side of a hill that we'd passed probably dozens or more times. We went in and I was expected to order off of the menu. My parents had taught me proper etiquette, but I simply was astonished at the prices and didn't know what to do (at the time the DM was 4:1, and I knew it). Everything seemed so expensive. My freind's father recommended the cordon bleu. I thought it was the height of elegance. We sipped wine (normal in those days, yes, in my house as well, when they visited). BUt to this day, cordon bleu has a special place in my life. I can make it, and it's pretty good, but still love to have it served at a great restaurant.

 

[Otter]

I made it last weekend when we had my parents over on Sunday for dinner. It's just a classic to me - the ideal combination of tastes.

 

[velochic]

Claire - I'd love to find a good Cordon Bleu here (Munich) - the only good food is German/Bavarian. BTW, loved your story. It's nice to hear people's food experiences.

And as an added note.. It's even more expensive here now. We're not military, either.

 

[Claire]

Munchen is such a beautiful city ... or at least is in my memories. My parents had freinds there (parents of a war bride) so we went to visit every year when Dad was stationed in Europe. We stayed in Grunwald. It was always funny, because the family was, I believe, Czech, and spoke not a word of English and us only maybe six words of German and none of Czech. But we always had a lovely time. When I visited, the city was preparing for the olympics, that tells you I'm really, really old! But I'll never forget being there. Some day I'll go back! I loved the entire area; please do me a favor and absorb as much of it as you can -- go for hikes and walks, city and country. One of my favorite memories is that Opa (the war bride's dad) would take me out into the woods foraging for mushrooms!

 

[velochic]

Claire - I LIVE 20 yards from a Jagdfeldwald in Eastern Munich. I walk there many times a week and absolutely love the forest. We love the gardens (parks) and beer gardens here too - how child friendly they are what wonderful play areas they have. The people, the culture. We love living here. Wouldn't change it for the world!!

I love that you have such great memories of Germany... and Grunewald - which is really not far from us. I hope one of these days if we leave, our daughter will have the same fond memories. I know I will. Of course, with luck, we'll never leave.

 

[jennyema]

I loved my visit to Munchen!! Der Schwarzwald ist sehr schoen. (i can speak German like a 3 year old, hee hee).

My parents were married and lived in Augsburg.

 

[kitchenelf]

This is a catering quantity recipe for a sauce we put on Chix Cordon Bleu. Scale down to your needs

Sauce
2 #10 Cans Crushed Pineapple
1 Pound Brown Sugar
16 Ounces Lemon Juice
3 Teaspoons Cornstarch
1/2 Bottle Sherry
1/2 Pound Butter
While chicken is baking, prepare sauce by combining pineapple, brown sugar and lemon juice. Cook on medium until bubbly, turn down heat to simmer Add cornstarch with water slowly until slightly thick. Add sherry and butter. Serve hot over cooked chicken.

wow - that's some sauce!!!!!! I think I still might like mine without any. WOW - again - thanks for the recipe!!!!