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Chicken Cordon Bleu

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 25 Ritz crackers, regular or whole wheat
  • 4 slices hearty sandwich bread, white or whole wheat
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 8 thin slices deli ham, about 8 ounces
  • 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
  • 4 thick boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds total (see note)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pulse the crackers and bread in a food processor until they are coarsely ground. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until the ingredients are incorporated. Transfer the crumbs to a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the crumbs are lightly browned. Transfer the crumbs to a shallow baking dish (a pie plate works great!) or leave them on the pan and scoop them together into a low mound. Reduce the oven temp to 400 degrees F.
  • Top each ham slice with about 1/4 cup shredded cheese. If your ham slices are too small, shingle two ham slices on top of each other to create a larger slice and roll the cheese up in that. Roll tightly and set aside. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Following the pictures below, cut a pocket in the thickest part of the chicken breast and stuff each pocket with 2 ham/cheese rolls. Pull the top flap of chicken over the rolls and press to seal (you can use a toothpick to gently secure the pocket edge, if you like). Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the stuffed chicken, covered, for at least 20 minutes.
  • In another shallow dish or pie plate, beat the eggs and mustard. Place the flour in a final shallow dish. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Working with one stuffed chicken breast at a time, coat the chicken lightly with flour and then dip in the egg mixture, covering both sides. Dredge the chicken in the toasted bread crumbs, pressing lightly to help the crumbs stick to the chicken. (The breaded chicken can be refrigerated covered for up to 1 day.)
  • Transfer the chicken to a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet. Make sure an oven rack is in the center of the oven. Bake the chicken until golden brown and cooked through (160 degrees on an thermometer inserted into the chicken, not the filling), about 25-30 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Chicken Breasts: to make sure the cheese doesn’t leak out of the chicken while baking, use large (at least 8-ounce) chicken breasts and chill the stuffed chicken breasts in the refrigerator before breading.
Make-Ahead Tip: the breaded chicken can be refrigerated covered for up to 1 day.