WW Chicken Cordon Bleu

Total Time46 min Prep11 min Cook35 min Serves 4Difficulty Moderate Cordon bleu, or blue ribbon, once connoted the highest level of culinary achievement for female chefs in France.

Ingredients

uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s)

1 pound(s), (4 breasts, 1/4 pound each), pounded to 1⁄4-inch thickness

cooked lean ham

4 slice(s), (about 2 oz. total)

low-fat Swiss cheese

2 oz, (4 thin slices)

all-purpose flour

4 Tbsp

table salt

½ tsp

black pepper

⅛ tsp, freshly ground, or to taste

egg(s)

1 large, lightly beaten

cornflake crumbs

½ cup(s)

2% reduced fat milk

½ cup(s)

reduced-sodium chicken broth

½ cup(s)

table wine

1 Tbsp, Madeira

ground nutmeg

⅛ tsp

grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp, freshly grated

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
2. Working one at a time, place a chicken breast half on a work surface. Top with one slice of the ham, then one slice of the Swiss cheese. Roll up, jelly-roll style, and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining chicken, ham and cheese.
3. Combine 2 tablespoons of the flour, 1⁄4 teaspoon of the salt, and a grinding of the pepper on a sheet of wax paper. Place the egg in a shallow bowl, and the cornflake crumbs in another shallow bowl.
4. Working one at a time, lightly coat the chicken rolls first with the flour mixture, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg to coat. Lightly coat with the cornflake crumbs, and place on the baking sheet (discard any leftover flour mixture, egg, and crumbs). Lightly spray the chicken rolls with nonstick spray. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each roll reaches 160ºF, 30–35 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, to prepare the sauce, combine the milk, broth, the remaining 2 tablespoons flour, the Madeira, nutmeg, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and another grinding of the pepper in a medium saucepan. Whisk until smooth; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese; cover and keep warm.
6. When the chicken rolls are ready, drizzle with the sauce and serve them at once. Yields 1 breast with 1/4 cup sauce.

Notes

It’s also the name of a glamorous dish that graced many a dinner-party table in the sixties. The method is simple: A layer of fine ham and cheese is sandwiched between thin medallions of chicken or veal, then sautéed. Here, we’ve simplified and lightened the recipe to use a single layer of chicken rolled around the filling to make an elegant presentation.