chicken cordon bleu grilled cheese

This was a huge hit with my son.  As you continue following me along, you’ll notice that he prefers the heavier, junkier foods while my daughter leans towards the veggie-heavy foods.  I swear, that boy was meant to grow up in the Midwest during the 80’s!  There are dishes I make that are huge family-pleasers and then there are those dishes where only one or two of us like the dish.  Unfortunately for my family, when I like a dish and they all hate it, I still catalog it for future use.  And If they all love it and I don’t, I usually end up deleting it.  But every once in a while, I will not like a dish but someone likes it so much that it’s worth keeping around (and perhaps even making it again).  That is the case with this dish.

As we were talking about it while we ate, my son was mmm-mmmm-ing all over the place. I mentioned that I’d probably not make it again and he was so surprised!  He asked if I would please keep the recipe and maybe he’d even pick it for his birthday meal (whoa!).  I guess it really hit a chord with him because he asked me again the following day, to save the recipe.  It has all the makings of a great sandwich – crispy chicken, melty cheese and salty ham. Unfortunately, I think I’m coming to realize that I’m not a huge swiss cheese fan. And while you’re preparing this, don’t make the novice mistake I made – season allllll the components of the breading station! That includes the flour, egg and panko because it really does makes a difference in flavor.  I sometimes skip this part, assuming that the other components will make up the difference in saltiness and flavor but nope- it doesn’t always work that way.

I’ve mentioned before that I follow national food holidays and so I made this for cordon bleu day a while back.  Sometimes it actually helps me decide what to make for dinner and it also helps me try new things that I normally would not try!  I remember cordon bleu from my college dining hall – the kind where you cut into it and oil would ooze out onto the whole plate.  Yuck and yum all at the same time.  I was happy to see a version of that dish that is a little lighter and weeknight friendly. So although it’s a strange interest of mine, national food days often bring a little innocent fun into my day!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Grilled Cheese

recipe from i am a food blog

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup panko
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 chicken breast, pounded thin
• 1/4 cup flour
• oil to fry chicken
• 2 slices bread of choice
• 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
• 5-6 thin slices ham

Lightly beat the egg in a bowl and set aside. Place the panko in a bowl and set aside. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then sprinkle on the flour. Toss to coat. Dip into the egg and then the panko making sure it is evenly coated.

Heat up a generous of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Fry the chicken until golden brown and crispy, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Wipe down the pan, leaving a bit of oil behind (not too much!). Lay down one slice of bread and top with half of the cheese. Place the chicken on top, then the ham slices, and the remaining cheese and slice of bread. Grill, over medium-low heat until golden brown and cheese start to melt. Flip carefully and grill until golden and everything is melty.