Our Blissfully Delicious Life: Chicken Cordon Bleu with a Creamy Dijon Pan Sauce

This is Chicken Cordon Bleu my way. It's not battered or breaded & it's way easier than the classic french version. I make mine with Prosciutto & Havarti Cheese but you can make it with any ham or cheese you'd like. The creamy Dijon pan sauce gives it the perfect finishing touch. You've got to try this recipe- my family loves it!

Ingredients:

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

4-8 pieces of Prosciutto, thinly sliced

6 pieces of Havarti Cheese, thinly sliced

1 tbsp Butter

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

(for the pan Sauce)

1/2 cup Chicken Broth

2 (heaping) tsp Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup Heavy Cream

Directions:

Place the chicken breast on a piece of plastic wrap, parchment or wax paper. I like to use the 'Perfect Portion' chicken breasts for this because they tend to be on the smaller side. I save all my larger chicken for grilling & stuff like that.

Place another piece of plastic, parchment or wax paper on top of the chicken breast. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound it to 1/4" thickness. (I usually flip the chicken breast over & pound the inside half of the chicken.)

Repeat with each chicken breast.

Peel the top layer of paper off.

Place 1-2 pieces of Prosciutto on top of the chicken breasts. I used 1 & 1/2 per breast this time, it just depends on the size of my chicken how much I use.

Place 1 slice of cheese on top of the Prosciutto. I bought the pre-sliced cheese from the deli section at my grocery store but you can also shred it, if you have a block of cheese. You just don't want to add too much cheese, or the chicken won't fold up tight.

Fold the chicken breast in half with the Prosciutto & cheese in the middle. Season both sides with salt & pepper. Don't go crazy with the salt though, the Prosciutto & Havarti will add salt to it too. If you are worried about them coming open, you can 'stitch' the top by placing a toothpick through it horizontally. I didn't use a toothpick this time.

In a medium/ large skillet (10" or so) melt 1 tbsp of butter with the olive oil over medium- high heat. (I used a smaller skillet in the picture above because I was only cooking 2 chicken breasts for us.) You want the skillet pretty hot to sear the chicken, but you don't want too as it will burn your butter. Sear the chicken on both sides, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

After you have seared both sides, add the chicken broth to the pan. Reduce the heat to low & cover. Cook the chicken breast covered for another 10 minutes or so, until the chicken is fully cooked. And don't worry about the cheese! Some of it ALWAYS cooks out, but that's ok! It tastes great in the sauce too. :)

When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it to a plate & cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Really, you could eat these up just as they are...but why would you when in 10 more minutes you can have a delicious pan sauce to go with it?!? Trust me, don't skip the sauce!

Crank the heat up to medium- high on the skillet & boil the chicken broth for a couple of minutes. Add 2 heaping tsp of Dijon Mustard to the skillet & 1/4 cup of Heavy Cream. Whisk or stir well to incorporate it. Reduce heat to medium- low & cook for about 10 minutes, stirring/ whisking the sauce to thicken. Taste & adjust seasonings.