Oh. My. Goodness.
This here is some amazingness on a plate. It's all about the sauce... I was seriously having to restrain myself from spooning it right out of the pan once it was cooked and cool enough to do so.
I'm lucky we had enough left to put over the chicken!
When I was younger, my dad was always the cook in the house. He used to make his own variation of chicken cordon bleu. It was always a hit at the dinner table! I don't know why he didn't make it more often than he did.
I've basically used his same idea of baking the chicken breasts for this recipe, but I've made a few changes. First of all, he used dijon mustard to keep the ham 'pasted' to the chicken. And he never used any bread crumbs either.
A traditional chicken cordon bleu is a pounded out piece of chicken breast that's rolled up with ham and swiss cheese and then fried in a breading. They are really tasty but... definitely not light on the calories!
I wanted to pay a bit more homage to the traditional version by adding in some breading. I also wanted to soften the stark blow that full on dijon mustard can deal to your taste buds, so I blended it into a light dijon-parmesan cream sauce that will knock your socks off!
Easy Skinny Chicken Cordon Bleu
TheSkinnyFork.com
The Skinny:
Servings: 4 • Size: 1 Piece of Chicken • Calories: 326.4 • Fat: 11.8 g • Carb: 18.7 g • Fiber: 0.6 g • Protein: 35.2 g • Sugar: 3.2 g • Sodium: 1113.6 mg
Ingredients:
Chicken:
2 Chicken Breasts (About 7 Oz. Each.)
4 Thin Slices Deli Ham (About 4 Oz. Total)
4 Slices Slim Cut Swiss Cheese
1/4 C. Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
2 Tbsp. Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1 Tbsp. Light Butter, Melted
Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
1 Tbsp. Light Butter
1 Tbsp. Whole Wheat White Flour
1/2 C. Fat Free Milk
1/2 Tsp. Sodium Free Instant Chicken
1/2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1/4 C. Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese, Grated
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Garnish:
Parsley
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
Slice the chicken breasts in half through the middle.
Not lengthwise like tenders, but filet style.
Place the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet.
Top each with a slice of ham.
Over that, add a once slice of swiss cheese per chicken piece.
Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and butter into a bowl together.
Divide the crumb mixture evenly among the chicken breasts.
I used about 2 tbsp. of crumb mixture per piece.
Place into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, make your parmesan-dijon cream sauce!
In a small pot melt the butter.
Add in the flour and cook for a minute or two over medium-low heat to make a roux.
Slowly add in the milk, stirring constantly. Then add in the instant chicken.
Stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken.
Once the sauce is bubbling and thickened, remove from heat and add in the dijon and parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the chicken from the oven once done.
Top each with some of that amazing sauce, about 2 tbsp. each.
Serve warm and enjoy!
