Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe
This Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe is a chicken wrapped dish around ham, and cheese inside. It is best served for special occasions and even at cocktail parties.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Origin of the dish
Chicken Cordon Bleu is a dish of chicken breast wrapped around cheese and ham then breaded and pan-fried or deep-fried. Its name came from a French word cordon bleu which translates to “blue ribbon”. According to a famous French cuisine book, cordon bleu "was originally a wide blue ribbon worn by members of the highest order of knighthood, in 1578. For this reason, the term has since been applied to food prepared to a very high standard by skilled cooks.
Though this dish got its name from the French word, it actually originated in Brig, Switzerland most likely around 1940s and was first mentioned in a cookbook around 1949.
When is Cordon Bleu Typically Served?
You can typically get served with a Chicken Cordon Bleu in a very special events like weddings, Christmas and birthday parties. This is served as the main course and you can never miss this dish in a fine-dining restaurants.
Kitchen Utensils You Need
In order to have the perfect chicken cordon bleu, you must have the complete and appropriate utensils needed in making it. To mention these are the following:
- 1 chopping board or flat surface
- 1 meat mallet tenderizer
- Knife
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- 1 large skillet
- Plates
- Toothpicks, to hold the chicken roll.
- Plastic wrap, as an alternative to toothpicks
Chicken Cordon Bleu’s Primary Ingredients – Chicken Breast
Chicken Cordon Bleu is mainly made of chicken meat, particularly chicken breast part. It is best used in making this dish since this is the boneless part of the chicken which makes it easier in the rolling part of the preparation of the dish.
The chicken breast is a lean cut chicken meat taken from the pectoral muscle on the underside of the chicken. Each whole chicken has 1 chicken breast which are separated into two halves and sold as individual breasts. Despite being common in the supermarket, chicken breasts can also be the hardest to cook. You may tend to be stuck between the fine line of undercooked and dry, so make sure to cook it evenly and perfectly, with just exact amount of time.
Interesting Facts
Common variations of the Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe include baking instead of frying.
It is still not clear who was the first person to ever cook and name the chicken cordon bleu.
There are many famous dishes in Europe that shares the same characteristics with chicken cordon bleu.
Tips and Tricks
Use a thermometer to know when the chicken is cooked, stab the chicken with the thermometer until you reach the middle part. A chicken is cooked when it reaches 165 °F (74 °C).
If you do not have a thermometer, you can check if the chicken is cooked through when its juice run clear when you pierced it with the tip of a fork. When the juice is still pinkish in color, you still need to cook it a bit longer.
Ingredients
- 4 slices chicken breast
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 8 slices ham
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cup breadcrumbs
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
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Place a chicken breast in a flat surface, pound with a meat mallet until 1cm thick. Then rub with salt and black pepper.
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Top the chicken breast with 2 hams and 2 Swiss cheese.
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Once everything is placed, start rolling the chicken breast from one end to another. Make sure the chicken is tightly rolled. You can lock the chicken roll with a toothpick to prevent it from rolling back.
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Beat the egg. Then coat the chicken roll to the egg, then to the flour then back to the egg and lastly to the breadcrumbs. Make sure to completely coat the chicken roll.
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Deep Fry until the chicken is lightly browned.
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Remove from heat and put in a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Remove the toothpick as well.
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Slice the chicken roll crosswise in a serving size.
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Serve with your favorite sauce and enjoy!
Aside from its common ingredients you can play with the chicken cordon bleu recipe and add other ingredients such as mushroom, bacon, or anything that would complement with the chicken breast.
You want to enjoy chicken cordon bleu better? Try it with sauce. There are sauces that best paired with this dish - butter cream sauce, mushroom sauce, or even just a basic mayonnaise dip which gives this dish a good delightful taste.
Next time you host a lunch or dinner, you can try to include this dish in your menu and give your guests a great meal experience.