Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

 

( this is a dish I made for my Bunco group on March 2007, I thought I would try it again on April 2025, wow a lot of years ago! The chicken is tender and the sauce is very flavorful, we really enjoyed this!)

Makes 4 servings:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb.), I filet my chicken breast to about 1/4 ",  just don't use thick ones.

4 slices of baked deli ham

salt and pepper

1 c. grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese ( I used Swiss, and it was good, next time I'll try the Gruyere)

oil for frying chicken in

16 Ritz crackers, or any butter cracker, crushed coarse

1 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. dry white wine

1 Tbsp. minced fresh Tarragon or 1 1/2 tsp. dried

1.  Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heave oven to 475 degrees.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown chicken, about 3 minutes each side.  Transfer chicken to 13 x 9 inch baking dish, smooth side up

2.   For the sauce:  Add cream, wine,  2 tsp. yellow mustard, tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste to skillet and bring to simmer.  Remove pan from heat.

3.  Meanwhile, spread 1 tsp. mustard over each breast, lay 1 slice of ham on top,  and mound each with 1/4 c. cheese.  Sprinkle cracker crumbs over cheese, pressing to adhere.  Pour sauce around chicken without disturbing crumbs.  Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees, about 15 minutes.  Serve.  

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

(I'm not sure where I got this recipe from, so I can't give credit where credit is due. I enjoy a good roasted potato side dish, and this doesn't disappoint!)

 4 medium size potatoes ( can use Yukon gold or russet) peeled and cubed

Parboil potatoes -  boil  for 10 minutes in  large sauce pan of water that has salt added,  then rinse in cold water, drain. Put in bowl. 

Mix about 1/2 - 3/4 c.  mayonnaise**,  1 - 2 tsp. Dijon mustard,  your choice of seasoning salt to taste, 1 tsp. rosemary, 2 tsp. garlic powder(I'm always generous with this),  1/4 tsp. pepper- can add any seasoning you like, I like to play with the recipe to see which ones I like best. 

*for the mayonnaise, you could use olive oil

Spread this mixture in with the potatoes, then: 

Spread potatoes on parchment paper make sure potatoes aren't overlapping

Broil for 10 minutes or until crispy. 

Enjoy!

Our Favorite Ham Glaze

 

(This recipe came from our piano teacher, Pat Ockey - it is a big hit we gave up the honey baked ham we used to buy - we will never go back!  This makes the ham very flavorful  sweet and juicy.)

We buy a Costco ham 8-9 lbs.

(it has a sugar packet with it)

Put whole cloves between the spiral cuts and on top ( I try to be somewhat liberally with it)

Put Ham in roasting pan

Preheat oven to 300 F.

For the Sauce: 

 

Dump 1 c. brown sugar in a large saucepan

Add : sugar packet (from ham) 

1/2 to 3/4 c. pure Maple syrup (can double or triple this amount-I usually don't)

1 Tbsp. Dijon Horseradish mustard

(Note: this last time we had about a 9lb ham and I 1 1/2 times the sauce, there seemed to be a lot of it and I didn't use all of it) 

Blend, and heat until warm.  Brush  warm sauce liberally on ham about 1/3 to 2/3  of the sauce on I try to put some between the layers being careful with the cloves in it.  

Bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or until warmed through) - usually take about 1 1/2 hours.  Take out of oven and brush more sauce drizzled over top, make sure this time its generous.  

**Enjoy!