(Easy!) Chicken Cordon Bleu

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The easiest way to enjoy homemade chicken cordon bleu - without canned soups! Chicken, ham, Swiss cheese, and breadcrumbs are layered, baked, and topped with a sinful Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce.

With nearly 600 recipes shared - and many more attempted, failed, and not shared - it seems like I've tried my hand at making most "standard" meals. Just recently, I found myself making not one but two different dishes that are fairly mainstream but never made at home! The first of those was chicken cordon bleu.

We were recently at a church dinner and on the menu was chicken cordon bleu. I rarely order it out but knew I liked it,... however, I completely underestimated my husband's reaction. I'm quite confident that he licked his plate (and maybe mine?) while everyone was listening to the speaker upfront. It was a huge hit! I made a mental note that if I hadn't made it before, I must soon! Later that night, I combed the archives of the blog and realized I had never made it!

The church chef had put some work into his version and it was absolutely delicious. But he's a trained chef with a staff... and I'm tired, hungry, and lazy. Thankfully, this easy version is just as delicious as the more complicated version - and my husband was in heaven!

If you've never had chicken cordon bleu, you're in for a treat. You're just layering thin chicken breasts cutlets, deli ham, and Swiss cheese in a baking dish. Top it with some breadcrumbs and bake. Right before it's done, whip up a super easy Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce to spoon smother it in.

Y'all, it's so good.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
For the Cordon Bleu:
3 large, thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to make 6 total thin chicken breast cutlets)
12 slices deli ham
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese

For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.

Place the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. On top of each piece of chicken, layer 2 slices of ham followed by slices of the Swiss cheese. Try to make sure as much of the chicken is covered in cheese or ham. Sprinkle the prepared bread crumbs over the chicken pieces.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked, the cheese is bubbling, and the bread crumbs are golden brown.

When the chicken is almost done, make the sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while quickly whisking. Whisk in the bouillon granules, salt, and continue whisking over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.

Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe