Chicken Paillards Cordon Bleu

Being a fairly frugal soul, I'm always looking for ways to save a buck or two. There's some that wouldn't believe it but I've changed significantly since I married the big guy and actually save denero on a regular basis as compared to my single days when I spent way more'n I made; however, my incentive now is an annual vacation on the Oregon coast and when you live in hell, believe you me a month in heaven a year is something major to strive for.

Last night's dinner was a dual effort that made darn good use of a scant half pound of chicken breasts to feed two hungry people and there's leftovers to boot. How'd we do that, you ask?

Take 8 ounces of chicken breasts, pound the heck out of them until they're about a third of an inch thick, season 'em with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and brown in a little butter for about 3 minutes a side. Top with a few thin slices of ham and some Swiss cheese (Madrigal in our case), and keep 'em warm while a sauce of mushrooms, shallots, white wine, pearl tomatoes and cream is constructed.Pour it on top of the chicken and not only do you have a cheap cheep chicken dinner, but it's mighty tasty too.

Best part... it's FAST. Course I can say that because the big guy cooked but with the ingredients prepped in advance and instructions left for him on the counter by the time I got home from an appointment, the big guy had the potatoes in the oven, chicken cookin' on the stove and drinks ready to pour. Gotta' love that!

Chicken Paillards Cordon Bleu (Inspired by Gourmet Magazine)

1 – 8 ounce chicken breast cut in half

4 thin slices of cooked ham

4 thin slices of Swiss cheese (I used Madrigal from France)

Flour for dredging

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

 

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons white wine

1/2 pound pearl tomatoes cut in half

1/2 cup heavy cream

Pound chicken breasts until approximately one third inch thick. Dry well, season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour shaking off excess. Set aside for 5 minutes to set coating. Heat large skillet pan over medium high heat and add one tablespoon butter. Cook chicken paillards until browned on both sides and cooked through – about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on sheet pan. Cover paillards with cooked ham, and place cheese on top. Cover sheet pan with foil and keep warm. 

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet.  Add mushrooms, shallot, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Sauté until mushrooms are softened – about 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook until wine has been absorbed. Add pearl tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are warmed through and start to wrinkle …2 or 3 minutes. Add cream, increase heat and simmer until sauce is of desired consistency. Plate paillards and serve with sauce on top. Serves 2 Download Chicken Paillards Cordon Bleu

Hint - for an even lower carb version, do not dredge chicken in flour before browning, and cut the pearl tomatoes and cream in half. While it's certainly far from calorie free, this is quite low in the carb department. Serve with a green vegetable like sauteed spinach or a salad instead of potatoes.

Comments

[Mary]

These look so good! Years ago we used to wrap the ham and cheese within the chicken and serve them as rolls. Yours sound much easier to do while retaining all the great ingredients that made them so flavorful. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

[June]

I've made them that way too, but this version cooks much faster and it's so much easier to put together - no toothpicks or string!

[Nanan]

Oh - yum - this is a winner to be sure! And the cheese and ham would make sure the breasts would seem as "good" as thighs - I am just so spoiled these days of being able to buy certain parts inexpensivly...

[June]

I'm with you Lea and prefer thighs but this was a great way to keep the chicken breasts moist and flavorful.