Chicken Cordon Bleu

Now this might be one of those dishes you reserve for special occasions or dinner guests; sure that's OK if that's what you want to do.  This was pretty easy, and quick, and delicious so maybe you want to give it a go on a Tuesday night?? I'm just sayin. 

This recipe calls for six chicken breasts, but it's just my hubby and I so I only used four with hopes of having some leftover for lunch the next day.  I always give my chicken a good rinse before use.  Makes me feel better about them, as chickens.

Use a really sharp knife and butterfly these (that means cut them open from the side) making sure not to cut all the way through. 

The recipe says to use Swiss cheese; and I would have if I'd have had some.  I used provolone cheese and thin sliced deli ham.  For the smaller pieces of chicken I had to roll the ham and cheese a little so they'd fit inside the chicken.  You're also supposed to seal the cut side closed with a toothpick, but guess who didn't have any toothpicks.  Yep, me.  Some of the cheese melted out of  mine, don't let this happen to you.  Use a toothpick.

Here is one chicken breast that is already filled.  The idea is to try to tuck the filling inside so that none is sticking out.  Here's where toothpicks would have come in handy.

Melt 6 Tbsp of butter in a pan large enough to hold all your chicken.  Heat on medium high heat so you can get a nice golden brown on the chicken when you add it.

Get a bowl and mix your flour and paprika.

Now dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, making sure to coat all sides.

Fit the chicken in the pan with the melted butter and cook on each side about 5 minutes, or until you get a nice golden brown crust on each side. 

When the chicken is a nice brown color, add in the wine and the chicken bouillon, reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until the juices are no longer pink.

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the pan (remove the toothpicks too) and add the cornstarch/cream mixture.

Stir until the mixture begins to thicken.

See how it takes a second for the sauce to cover over the whisk mark on the bottom of the pan?  That's perfect, now remove from the heat and pour over the chicken.

Now, dig in!  This is a very good choice for low carb diets since there is very little flour.  I had this again the next day for lunch and it was just as yummy as the first night.  It's a nice way to get out of the hum-drum of plain ol' chicken.  I hope you'll try it.

Here's where you can find the recipe: Chicken Cordon Bleu