Chicken Cordon Bleu

By Dunjab

Ingredients

• boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
• 25 Ritz crackers (about 3/4 sleeve)
• 4 slices hearty white sandwich bread
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 8 thin slices deli ham (about 8 ounces)
• 5 ounces shredded Swiss cheese (2 cups )
• Salt and pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preparation

Step 1

1.Set an oven racks to both the lowest and middle positions. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Melt butter either in microwave or one stovetop. Tear bread slices into pieces and crumble crackers directly into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse about 10 times until coarsely ground. Sprinkle melted butter evenly over bread crumbs and pulse 3 times to incorporate. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and bake on the middle oven rack until golden brown; about 6 to 8 minutes; stirring occasionally so that the bread crumbs brown evenly. Set aside in a pie plate (or leave on baking sheet if the bread crumbs aren’t overdone in order to save cleaning another dish). Keep your oven on at 450-dergrees.
2.Grate your Swiss cheese. Lay out a slice of deli ham and arrange 1/4-cup of cheese in a 4″ line (about the length of the pockets you cut into the chicken). Roll tightly and set aside.
3.Dry your chicken breast using paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use a paring knife to cut a 3-to-4″ pocket into the thickest part of the chicken; being careful not to cut all the way through. Put two ham/cheese rolls inside each pocket. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4.Use a fork to beat the eggs and mustard together in a pie plate. Measure 1/2-cup flour onto another plate. Working like an assembly line, coat chicken lightly with flour, dredge in egg wash and allow excess to fall back into pie plate, coat in bread crumbs and press lightly so that they adhere. Plate coated chicken on a clean baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
5.Bake on lowest rack for 10 minutes, then move the chicken to the middle rack. Reduce oven to 400-degrees and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes longer. The chicken will be done when the chicken registers 165-degrees. Ten with aluminum foil and allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes on a clean cutting board.