Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Name: Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients: 8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 3 tablespoons butter; 1 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed; 8 slices Swiss cheese; 8 slices fully cooked ham; 1 large egg; 1 tablespoon water

"Cordon Bleu" is of French origin meaning "blue ribbon"—given as a prize for culinary excellence. The term also refers to a signature dish of chicken topped with a slice of ham and Swiss cheese, usually breaded and sautéed, or in this case, wrapped in puff pastry for a quick and easy finish. —Sharon Laabs, Hartford, Wisconsin

Ingredients

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
8 slices Swiss cheese
8 slices fully cooked ham
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

Directions

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chicken in butter for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove to paper towels to drain.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each pastry sheet into a 12-in. square. Cut into four 6-in. squares. Place a chicken breast in the center of each square; top with cheese and ham.
Whisk egg and water; lightly brush over pastry edges. Bring two sides of pastry over chicken, overlapping one over the other; press seams to seal. Pinch together ends and fold under.
Transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; brush tops with egg mixture. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165°.

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 587 calories, 32g fat (13g saturated fat), 135mg cholesterol, 649mg sodium, 35g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 4g fiber), 39g protein.

Originally published as Chicken Cordon Bleu in Taste of Home February/March 2012

Reviews

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Average Rating:

pamsterhamster

Sep 8, 2014

This was so good. Takes a little time to prepare but, well worth it.
garaldineloismiddleton

Apr 25, 2013

To VirginiaCA, the 2nd rule is to check your spelling before you pick on someone else
VirginaCA

Apr 25, 2013

There are 2 sheets of puff pastry in a box. The recipe states to roll EACH sheet into a 12" square and cut into four 6" squares. According to my kitchen math, this will give you 8 rectangles for the 8 chicken breasts. The first rule of thumb is cooking is to read the recipe CAREFULLY and then you'll get your answer almost all the time. Of course, they're are exceptions with badly written recipes.
Berktwins

Apr 2, 2013

I have a picky man and 5 year old twins, and this was a HUGE hit with everyone!! I would recommend not allowing the pastry out for the 40 minutes suggested on the box. It was much easier to separate and work with while it was still cold, but not frozen. I added pepperjack cheese to one, which was just as great. I partially cooked my chicken on the grill before wrapping in the pastry. I will definitely make this again!! =)
payne9

Jul 11, 2012

Easy and REALLY good!
blajr

Mar 11, 2012

I've made a similar recipe many times that my family loves; it originally called for spreading a bit of mustard on the puff pastry to add flavor, but instead of that I spread about 1-2 T of softened chive and onion flavored cream cheese - really adds great flavor and creaminess. I also find if I wrap the ham around the cheese that helps to hold it in there without melting out. There are two sheets of puff pastry per box, so yes, you would make 8 wraps total.
Dan.P.Palmer

Feb 16, 2012

Very easy to make. My family said I should keep this recipe around!
howeavenue

Feb 11, 2012

You get two sheets of pastry, and so you cut each into 4 squares. These turned out great. I agree with another reviewer that anything surrounded by puff pastry is good, although it's very high in calories. I actually cooked my chicken through and then put in the oven b/c I was worried the pastry would overbrown with the chicken only partially cooked. This worked fine. I also used bacon instead of ham. I might use more cheese next time or maybe even some cream cheese as the cheese got absorbed into the pastry and so when you cut into the chicken it was not as cheesey as I had hoped. So I might try to make it a little cheesier and creamier, but really delicious, if you can afford the calories of the puff pastry!
sstetzel

Feb 6, 2012

[quote user="Rfisler"] Just wanted to ask about the number of pastry squares to cut...recipe calls for 8 breasts, but then says to cut into 4 squares??? [/quote] Rfisler I believe there are 2 sheets of pastry in the box, it's been a while since I've worked with it though. I've emailed the Test Kitchen for clarification.
Rfisler

Feb 6, 2012

Just wanted to ask about the number of pastry squares to cut...recipe calls for 8 breasts, but then says to cut into 4 squares???