Chicken Cordon Bleu
Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (1996 version), p. 391
Start to finish: 40 minutes
"In food terms, cordon bleu refers to chicken or veal that has been pounded thin, layered with Swiss cheese and ham, rolled, breaded, and sautéed until golden brown."
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb total)
4 slices prosciutto or fully cooked ham
4 slices Swiss cheese (3 oz total)
3 tbsp margarine or butter
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 tbsp dry white wine
Hot cooked noodles (optional)
- Rinse chicken, pat dry. Place each breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lightly into a rectangle about 1/8" thick. Remove plastic wrap.
- Place a slice of prosciutto or ham and a slice of cheese on each chicken piece. Fold in the bottom and sides; roll up jelly-roll style. Secure with wooden toothpicks.
- In a 10" skillet cook rolls in 1 tbsp of the hot margarine or butter over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or till tender and juices run clear. Turn to brown evenly. Remove toothpicks.
- Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan melt the remaining 2 tbsp margarine or butter. Add mushrooms and garlic. Cook and stir till tender. Stir in flour and nutmeg. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Stir in wine.
- If desired, serve chicken rolls atop hot cooked noodles. Top with sauce. Makes 4 servings.
LYNDA SAYS: My mother used to make these flat, not as rolls: simply cooking the chicken and then layering the ham and cheese on top of it, in the same manner in which you'd make a cheeseburger. I think I preferred it that way, but there's the nostalgia factor to consider. These were still pretty good. We didn't make the noodles because we ran out of burners; we had the toasted barley mix, so we weren't worried.
EMILY SAYS: Lynda's mother has a good idea. [Lynda here, transcribing: Emily just said something like "grebthmbb moogley," but that's only approximate.] It wasn't hammy enough or cheesy enough. More of each, next time.