Chicken Cordon Bleu

We did make a ham for Easter.  (Actually, we went all out and bought the already-sliced kind that you just heat up for an hour.  But a ham, nonetheless.)

But Scott got it in his head that he wanted Chicken Cordon Bleu.  I'm not sure where he had eaten this dish before he met me, but I had tried it at a wedding a few years back.  Then we had it at our wedding.  It was pretty much amazing both times. I mentioned maybe making it, and Scott insisted I make it for Easter.  (More ham to go with the ham, apparently.)

It was a messy job to make, but surprisingly easy.  My rolling was not pretty.  But it turns out that doesn't matter.  This isn't a wedding, after all!  The flavor was amazing. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu

1 cup bread crumbs
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Mix all of this together on a plate or pie pan. 

2 eggs, beaten

6 pieces of chicken (that's vague.  i took 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts and sliced them hamburger-bun-style to make them thinner.  each one was sliced 2 or 3 times and i ended up with 7.  6 is fine.)

6 slices swiss cheese (broken in half to fit inside the chicken)
6 slices of thinly sliced deli ham

Toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 glass pan with non-stick spray. 

Lay the pieces of chicken between two pieces of saran wrap.  Pound out the chicken until it's pretty flat.  (I used a mini-rolling pin.)

On each piece of  chicken, lay a slice of ham and two slices of the (broken) swiss cheese.  Roll from one end to the other and secure with two toothpicks.  Dip in the egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs.  Place in the pan.  Repeat for each piece of chicken.

Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes.  (honestly, scott started using the microwave in the middle of my cooking time and didn't reset the timer.  i'm not sure how long these cooked for.)