A classic example of my (sometimes) lack of attention to certain details became evident this weekend when I finally took the extra sixty seconds to read what actually makes up a Chicken Cordon Bleu dish. You see, it’s the damn French (“bleu”) that always turned me off, not because it’s French, but because I always just assumed that it meant the dish required blue cheese, one of the only cheeses which I truly despise (sorry Dad).
So upon putting in that “monumental” effort to actually read the recipe, it became clear that it was something I had to make. After all, the combination of chicken, cheese and prosciutto with a breadcrumb coating, all combined into one meal is obviously something I’m going to seriously regret having missed out on for 30 years (I don’t count the first four years of my life as I didn’t so much choose what I ate back then.
How ridiculously easy is it to make? Very. Think about it this way: two bowls: dry and liquid. For the liquid, take about an inch of butter (that’s how I measure butter), melt it, then combine it with two cloves of garlic and about 1/8th of a cup of chicken broth. For the dry, take 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, grind up some parmesan cheese and throw some paprika on top. Keep the liquid and the dry stuff seperate.
Now, here’s the best part: beat the holy crap out of two chicken breasts until they’re flat, or about 1/4th of an inch in height. Drop a slice of prosciutto onto each breast and add some mozzerela cheese to it, roll that bugger up, drench it in the butter/garlic combo, then coat it with the breadcrumb combo. Place breasts seam-side down into a greased pan and cook on 350 for 20-23 minutes. Done. Simple and delicious. If you’re making four breasts, double the recipe. Thank me later.
To make up for lost time, I will make this every night for four years.