Chicken Cordon no dinner Blues

I'm not sure that I've actually ever made chicken cordon bleu before last week. I've had it many times, my mom used to make it all the time. And I loved it...ham, cheese, breaded chicken. You can't go wrong with that. What I never understood was how she got the ham and cheese to stay in the chicken without it seeping out the side, it was one of those unexplained mysteries. Her little secret though (sorry for divulging it mom) was that she bought them pre-made (although that doesn't explain why or how its done, it is easier to understand given that they were probably sent down some assembly line).

I'm not sure why I've never made it; I've done all sorts of different versions of it - not breaded, no cheese inside, putting the ham and cheese on top instead of inside...just about any variation that you can think of, I've attempted. And I've done all the variations because I was always afraid that I would have a cheese disaster seeping out during cooking. And I'll have to say that the real thing is the real deal, it was definitely way better than any of the variations that I had previously attempted. But, that's not to say it wasn't tricky to make sure the cheese and goodness actually stayed on the inside and didn't seep out. It was definitely a lot easier than I had imagined, and with a few key steps it is pretty darn simple and definitely worth it.

So here are my tips:
1. Pound the chicken out really really thin, almost until its shredded (but don't go that far or your cheese will definitely seep out). It cooks faster and its much easier to handle and is more pliable the thinner it is.
2. flour...egg...breadcrumbs. Probably the key to the whole thing. The process of dipping it in flour, then egg, and then breadcrumbs will effectively seal everything in. Then, when you put them in the pan, make sure the oil/pan is hot so that everything seals up right away when it goes into the pan.
3. Don't be afraid of toothpicks. You can even take them out before you serve it (or if you have someone that tends not to chew his/her food before swallowing, you can leave the toothpicks in as an attempt to slow them down when they eat. You should, however, warn your family or your guests, because that's just mean if you don't). Take the edges and weave a couple toothpicks in the edge to keep everything together. Or you could go for the butchers twine, but I mostly find that to be unruly and difficult and everything always falls apart anyway.
4. Don't overstuff it. If you put 5 slices of cheese in the middle, you're going to have some leakage, guaranteed. Come on...think about it. There just isn't that much room there.

The result is a tasty, cheesy chicken dish that is sure to please. I got multiple thumbs up at various points throughout this dinner.

Chicken Cordon Blue (for 2)
2 chicken breasts
1 egg
2 slices of cheese (muenster, provelone, mozzarella, swiss - which is classic, but use whatever you've got)
2 slices of prosciutto (use the good stuff, it definitely makes a difference, I definitely would not recommend using regular ham, it just doesn't have enough of the salty goodness flavor that you get in prosciutto
flour for dredging (seasoned with salt and pepper)
1 egg, beaten (seasoned with salt and pepper)
breadcrumbs for dredging

Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Pound the chicken breasts until they're about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (I like to put them in a ziploc bag and pound them that way). Put a slice of prosciutto and cheese and fold the chicken in half, closing the edges with toothpicks (two per chicken breast should be fine). Dredge the chicken in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and put into the hot pan. Cook until golden brown on each side, probably about 5 minutes per side.

No more chicken dinner blue's with this one!