Stuffed with smoked Gouda and prosciutto, then baked and served with a Dijon mustard cream sauce, this baked chicken cordon bleu is about to knock your socks off.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a cast iron skillet inside while heating. Use a mallet to beat the chicken breasts until ¼ inch thin. They should be thin enough to easily wrap up, but not so thin they fall apart.
Mix the salt, pepper and flour in one bowl, eggs in another, and panko bread crumbs in the third bowl.
Layer 2 slices of cheese and 2 slices of prosciutto on each breast. Roll up and secure with toothpicks.
Dip each breast in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then the breadcrumbs. Do the same for all breasts.
Remove the heated cast iron skillet from the pan and place 1 tbsp. of butter or bacon grease in the skillet. Add the chicken and brown on all sides - about 1-2 minutes per side.
Once browned, pour the Dijon sauce over the chicken and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until juices of the chicken run clear (165 degrees). Remove from oven and serve.
**Broil the chicken for a couple minutes to brown if necessary.
Dijon Mustard Sauce:
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the flour and butter. Stir continuously to make a roux. Cook for 2-5 minutes, until roux is very light brown.
Combine the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and warm milk in a bowl.
Add the warm milk mixture very slowly, a little at a time while stirring constantly, until a sauce starts to form. Add the salt, cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese. Stir until combined and remove from heat.
Sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but still pourable.
Notes
Cook's Tips:
Broil the chicken for a couple minutes after baking to brown if necessary. I like to add a little extra crisp to the chicken before removing it from the oven. Watch the chicken to ensure it doesn't burn under the broiler.
Any kind of prosciutto will work. You should be able to find it in the deli section of the grocery store. If you can't find it/prefer not to use it, then you can also substitute thinly sliced ham.
If you can't find smoked Gouda, you can substitute any other kind of smoked cheese, or you can use Swiss as is traditional.
I typically opt to use panko breadcrumbs in recipes calling for breadcrumbs. I find they offer a lighter, crispier texture than regular breadcrumbs.
You can substitute butter, duck fat, olive oil, etc. for the bacon grease if you don't have any.
Grainy mustard works best for the Dijon sauce. I highly recommend using it instead of the fully ground mustard.
If you add cold milk, or add the milk too quickly to the Dijon sauce, you risk the sauce becoming lumpy and separated. Add warm milk, slowly, just a little at a time, while stirring, to ensure you get a super creamy, uniform sauce.