I remember always ordering this as a child when we would go to that one restaurant during Easter and I thought I could make this classic dish with my own twist. It took a few tries during the lockdown and I like the adaption. Now the photo shows the traditional ham but I swapped it out for Prosciutto and the cream or dijon sauce for a Tarragon Cheese sauce - Enjoy.
Ingredients
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded thin to about 1/4 inch.
8 slices of Prosciutto
4 thin slices of Gruyere Swiss Cheese*
1/4 cup of pastry flour
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of ground mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 to 1/3 cup of unsalted butter
3/4 cup of dry vermouth
Long toothpicks or short skewers
Sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock, unsalted
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of minced shallots
2 tablespoons Dijon
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped Tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees
Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
Tear off 4 sheets of parchment paper.
Pre-roll one slice of prosciutto around each slice of cheese and set aside
Place one of the pounded chicken breasts on parchment paper, Next place the 1 slice of prosciutto in the center, add the prerolled prosciutto and cheese in the center. Now tuck in the ends of the chicken and roll up like a burrito. then close up on the seam at the bottom with a toothpick or two or the short skewers. Roll up the chicken in the parchments paper and set it on a large plate or tray. Repeat with the balance of the chicken. Place rolled chicken in the fridge and chill for about 1 to 2 hours.
In a bowl whisk together the flour and spices and set aside.
Place the bread crumbs in another bowl and the whisked egg in a third bowl.
Remove the chicken from the fridge. Unwrap from the parchment paper, dredge in the seasoned flour, then coat with egg and then coat with the bread crumbs on all sides and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until done. place in the fridge and chill for at least 2 to 4 hours.
Place a large deep skillet that could hold all four rolled bread chickens at once, over medium-high heat, add half the butter, once melted and bubbling, but not brown, add the chicken. Start with a side, brown for about 3 to 4 minutes, turn, brown top, then the next side ending with the seam with the toothpicks on the bottom. Note add more butter if the skillet becomes dry during the browning. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the vermouth, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. If the cheese starts to ooze out they overdone. Remove skillet place on the second prepared baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
Sauce
Add shallots to skillet, raise heat to medium, saute for 1 to 2 minutes, next add the vermouth and chicken stock, raise heat to high and saute until reduced by half. Now add the dijon, butter, and tarragon and saute for an additional 5 minutes or until reduced again by half, remove from heat, season, and whisk in cream. Transfer to a gravy boat.
Plate up Chicken Cordon bleu, one to a plate, add some herb roasted potatoes and garnish with a sprig of Tarragon and serve with sauce.
Comments