Chicken Cordon Bleu

When Luke and I first started dating, Chicken Cordon Bleu was the first thing he ever made for me. And for that reason, it's a recipe that I've always held near and dear to my heart.

We joke that it's why I fell in the love with him ... but it's really not a joke!

This is love chicken, for sure!

The second thing he ever made me was his famous Chicken Parm and it's what I ask for for my birthday every single year. So the moral of the story is probably just that if you fry chicken for people, they're very likely to fall in love with you. That doesn't sound crazy to me!

In this Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe, we bake the chicken instead of pan frying it. And we typically swap out the milk for almond milk. It takes a bit longer to cook down the sauce, but the flavor is great. Just a couple small adjustments to make the recipe even healthier!

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Chicken Cordon Bleu: Date Night In Recipe

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 4 slices ham
• 4 slices swiss cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk or unsweetened plain almond milk
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• A pinch of red pepper flakes optional
• 1/2 cup parmesan shredded

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish with olive oil spray.
• Slice chicken in half to create 4 breast pieces and pound to ½ an inch. Place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese on each piece of chicken, then roll up tightly, securing with a toothpick.
• Crack the egg into a bowl and add a bit of salt and pepper. Whisk well. Pour the breadcrumbs into another bowl. Roll each chicken roll into the egg, then the bread crumbs, then place in the baking dish seam-side down to seal.
• Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.
  
  
• In the meantime, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the crushed garlic and stir. Whisk in the flour, then let cook for 2 minutes to cook out the flour taste. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the thyme, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, whisk well and bring to a light boil. Stir in the parmesan until melted, then turn down the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes if using regular milk (20 minutes if using almond milk) to fully thicken. Taste and season as needed.
• Remove the chicken from the oven when finished and pour the sauce over top. Serve with rice pilaf or crusty bread.