Oven-fried chicken cordon bleu

We're kicking off our regular programming once again with a special request from Bruno. He was sitting on the couch last night and really wanted a cordon bleu (we don't have these often, I don't know where his craving came from...)

So I decided to please him (and the Brunometer *wink*) by throwing together some homemade chicken cordon bleus. Now, the thing that had me the most nervous was the hammering of the chicken, since I don't have a kitchen mallet, but I improvised :)

(The pictures kind of suck today, sorry, we were too hungry to have our usual foodoshoots).

Oven-fried chicken cordon bleu
Servings: 3 (or 2 for him and 1 for me)

Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 slices of ham (relatively thick)
3/4 cup shredded cheese (whichever kind you want, I used mexican blend)
3 strips of fat free philly cream cheese
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp cajun seasoning
1 egg
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Place the chicken breast between two wax sheets, and hammer it down to about 1/8 inch thickness, or until you feel you could easily roll them. You can use a heavy cast iron pan, a kitchen hammer, a real hammer, whatever you got. I used my real hammer on its side covered with a ziplock bag.

When they are flat, season them with salt and pepper and place the ham slices on top (I had to cut mine in half) and both cheeses. Fold the chicken in 3 and secure with toothpicks. I had a tough time doing this, and I think maybe using a milanese chicken cut (very thin, wide and long) will be easier next time.

Mix the flour and cajun seasoning on a plate, whisk the egg on another plate, and the breadcrumbs on a third plate. Heat a skillet to medium-high with a bit of cooking spray. Carefully roll the cordon bleus in the flour, then the egg, and finally coat well with the breadcrumbs. Cook in the skillet for about 1 minute on each side, then place them in a baking pan and spray them generously with nonstick cooking spray. Place them in the oven for 20 minutes, then flip them over, spray them with the cooking spray again and cook for a final 10 minutes. This will make the breadcrumbs nice and golden.

Remove the toothpicks and serve with a light salad or steamed veggies, we thought rice would be too many carbs on a plate.

And the oh-so-missed Brunometer gives this dish a:

8.6 / 10

Not bad for my first meal after Diet Week, eh? ;)