Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

I like to cook a nice grown up meal at least once a week for the family. I like to eat something nice, since we don’t get the chance to go out to eat very often. This week I picked Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu. Here is another fabulous meal under $5.00 and under an hour. This can be made on a week night. You could even prep the chicken the night before and have it ready to go when you get home. You could also pre cook the rice and have it in the freezer and just heat it up. This is how I always have ready rice and I don’t need to spend extra money on precooked rice.  I precook it myself. I guess that is how I am so frugal!

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients for Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu:

2 Large Bone in Chicken Breast Each breast 1lb
2 Cups Milk separated
2 slices of Ham  I used lunch meat
2 Tablespoons Oil
2 Cups Breadcrumbs I toast the ends of the bread and grind them up
1 wedge of Swiss Cheese
1 Can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
2-3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
Seasonings you like: salt, pepper, garlic
1 Cup uncooked Rice
A few toothpicks to secure chicken

Directions for Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

1. Cut the breast and tender from the bone. If you are using boneless skinless, you can skip this step. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Put the rice on to cook on the stove top.

2. Get out the meat tenderizer for this one! Cover your chicken with plastic wrap and pound your chicken to about ¼ – ½ thickness using the flat side of your mallet. You can take out a little of your frustration on that chicken. This is cooking therapy in my book! We may be having this one more often.

3. If you have sliced Swiss cheese you can use that, but I had the little wedges of cheese I bought a while back. Smear the Swiss cheese evenly over the chicken. Be generous and use it all!

4. Now lay a slice of ham on each breast. And roll baby roll. Secure chicken rolls with toothpicks.

5. In two separate bowls pour 1 cup milk and in the other breadcrumbs. Coat the chicken thoroughly in milk then in the breadcrumbs. For really crunchy chicken dip in milk and coat in breadcrumbs again. This really makes this dish! (if you have those little tender pieces leftover dip them in the milk and breadcrumbs like above)

6. In a skillet pour in the oil and heat on medium heat. Brown the chicken on the outside until golden. I did around 3 minutes on each side. Browning 3 sides. Also throw those tender pieces in there to brown too.

7. Remove chicken and place on a paper towel. In a small saucepan, pour in the soup and 1 cup additional milk and heat through. Once the rice is finished cooking, place in a 9X9 baking dish then place the chicken on top and pour the soup mixture over the top and bake for 15-30mins. Take out and serve with an additional vegetable.

~   ~   ~

All the prices reflect my rock bottom stock-up price. I will buy bone in chicken breast since it is less expensive, rather than buying boneless skinless breast for more. You get more meat if you buy the breast this way. Under the breast is the chicken tender. It is a little sliver of white meat used to make chicken tenders.

I will sometimes cut them up before I freeze them, but most of the time I will freeze two breasts in baggies. One is in a ziplock bag and the other is not. That way if I want to use just one breast I can. I will then use the bones to make chicken stock. 

I know you have some fabulous things you have been working on this week. Link them up below to share with others: