Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of my favorite recipes to serve when I have company over... It looks so fancy without being a ton of work.  I edited this recipe from Tyler Florence's Food Network Recipe to make it more affordable.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts skinless and boneless
• 8 think slices of deli ham
• 4 slices of Swiss cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 t dried thyme
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay 2 slices of deli ham neatly over the top to cover the breast, 1 slice of swiss cheese and sprinkle a quarter of the Parmesan cheese over the ham. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight to form a nice log. Repeat with remaining chicken.

3.  Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper, and melted butter. The butter will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and season with salt and pepper as well.

4.   Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs. Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the roulades onto it. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked through.

5. Serve whole or slice into pinwheels and serve over Baked Brown Rice!!