Quick & Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

I had to make this recipe after enjoying sub-par frozen Chicken Ccordon Bleu from the grocery store when we were in France.  Lol.  This was almost as easy but tasted worlds better.  I've only made easy CCB recipes, never the "real" one.  Another one I love is this easy casserole version.   If you can buy chicken fillets (just sliced chicken breasts) at your grocery store, this recipe will be super easy.  Otherwise you're cutting them yourself or pounding them.

Note: The sauce for this recipe tastes great, but congeals quickly off the heat.  I included a pic on the very bottom of this post of some sauce on the chicken; it had cooled too much by this point but still tasted good.  That's why it looks interesting.  However, the chicken is great without the sauce too.  Some of the kids opted out of sauce.

Quick & Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

FOR THE CORDON BLEU:
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to form two thinner chicken breast cutlets)- or 6 chicken cutlets/fillets
Salt and pepper
12 slices deli ham
6-8 slices Swiss cheese (6 to 8 ounces)
1 cup bread crumbs (I prefer panko in this recipe)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

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 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Lightly sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

2.  Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with 2 slices of swiss cheese, shingling across the chicken breast to make sure the entire piece of chicken is covered with ham and cheese. Toss the bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the chicken.
Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.

3.  For the sauce, while the chicken bakes, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly to avoid lumps.  Stir in the chicken bouillon granules. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes.

4.  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. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.  Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce.

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