ATK's Perfect Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ever been frustrated with the cheese filling oozing out of your Chicken Cordon Bleu while baking in the oven? Well, I have and it is not a good sigh at all. Makes me wonder how the folks at Barber's Chicken processed their Chicken Cordon Bleu to bake into perfection without the cheese oozing out all over the place.
Then, I watched this episode on America's Test Kitchen where they were featuring chicken recipes and what do you know, they have a segment on making the perfect chicken Cordon Bleu and a technique I have not try using when making mine.
Smart people. Instead of pounding the chicken breast flat, they recommend cutting slits into the chicken breast and stuffed the roll up ham and cheese into the pockets itself. The result: AMAZING! Minimal cheese oozing out from those pockets. Will do better the next time. All in all, a really good recipe!

Chicken Cordon Bleu – America’s Test Kitchen Recipe

Ingredients

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

8 slices of ham

1 cup shredded Swiss Cheese

25 pieces Ritz Crackers

4 slices of hearty white bread

6 tablespoon of butter, melted

1 Tbsp of Dijon Mustard

3 eggs

¼ cup flour

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

   1) Slice pockets in chicken breast, about 1/3 way. Make deep slits inside pockets, leaving ¼ inch intact.

   2) Roll cheese inside of ham into cigar shaped.

   3) Place 2 cheese-ham cigars into each chicken breast pocket. Season breast with salt and pepper. Leave in fridge for 20 mins.

   4) For breadcrumbs, process Ritz crackers with bread. Add in the melted butter. Mix well.

   5) Preheat oven to 450F. Toast breadcrumbs mix for 3 mins till lightly golden.

   6) Prepare eggwash. Combine eggs with Dijon mustard. Set aside.

   7) Roll chicken in flour. Dust to remove excess.

   8) Dip chicken in egg wash and coat with breadcrumbs. Press to ensure an even layer of breadcrumbs all over chicken breast.

   9) Bake in the third rack of oven for 10 minutes.
10) Reduce heat to 400F. Move chicken onto the middle rack and bake for another 20 minutes.
11)   Remove from oven. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.