Tag: baked chicken

Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu: a New Take on an Old Recipe

I just made the first batch of Pesto from my sun and heat loving basil plant. It has been living happily on my balcony all summer, but it didn’t have an easy time of it. In fact this is basil plant #3. The first one was heartlessly destroyed by a marauding squirrel. The second one died a quick death caused by our crazy spring weather and a watering mishap. Plant #3 has survived and thrived. Partly because unlike some other plants, it really loves hot, dry, weather, but also because I built a chicken wire blockade surrounded by bamboo sticks that the squirrels can’t invade.

This is a picture of my plant, post pesto haircut. Yes, this is Mama D’s personal war with squirrels.

I love fresh basil. I use it in salads and pasta sauce, but my favorite use is to make pesto with it. Pesto is a simple thick and rich sauce simply made with basil, garlic, pine nuts, cheese, and olive oil. It comes together quickly and can be frozen in small portions that can be at the ready to elevate any dish simply by its presence. Here is my original recipe for pesto. I don’t always use the parsley, opting for all basil, but it is good either way. https://mamadskitchen.net/recipe/roasted-garlic-pesto/

I have written about Pesto, a lot. I searched on my web site and found six pages of recipes that feature pesto in one way or another. It can be the star of a dish or a flavorful supporting player as my recipes illustrate. There has hardly been a year that a recipe using pesto wasn’t on the blog. Just search Pesto on my site and see  for yourself.

As I was looking over the pesto recipes, I found myself thinking that some of them could use an overhaul and decided that I would revisit and possibly re-work a couple of them. I often look back at old recipes and seem to see them with new eyes. Sometimes my available equipment has changed, other times my taste and sensibilities are in a different place.

First up is Chicken Cordon Bleu, Italian Style. I originally made it as a grilled, de-constructed, version using Prosciutto, Provolone, and Sage leaves.  Pesto, in this case, was a garnish. Here is the original version:  https://mamadskitchen.net/recipe/grilled-chicken-cordon-bleu-italian-style/

This time around, I wanted to make it more in the style of Traditional Cordon Bleu. That is putting the prosciutto  and cheese (smoked provolone) on the inside and wrapping the outside with more prosciutto. This also meant baking it instead of grilling it. Since I had a fresh batch of pesto, I decided to put it in the inside as well. Then it was a simple (sort of) process of rolling it up and securing it with some toothpicks. Finally, I enrobed it with prosciutto and sent it into the oven.

What came out smelled delicious and looked pretty good, too. Once it was plated and accessorized with some green beans it was time for the big reveal.

It was very tasty and showed me that every recipe can be changed into something different and sometimes, even better. So now, here with just a little fanfare, is the new version.

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Italian Style Chicken Cordon Bleu

A new take on an old recipe.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 2
Author: binner216@comcast.net
Ingredients
  • 2 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Cutlets
  • 2 Oz. Provolone Cheese (smoked style if you like) Thinly sliced
  • 1/4 Cup Pesto Homemade if you have it
  • 3-4 Oz. Prosciutto Thin slices
  • Freshly ground pepper
Instructions

  1. Pound your chicken breasts to an even thickness. If your chicken breasts are on the thick side, remove the tenderloin and trim the thicker underside to match the rest of the breast..

  2. Lay the pounded breasts on a mat underside up. Season with pepper. Spread each breast with an even layer of the pesto, leaving a 1/2 inch border.

  3. Layer the cheese on top of the pesto. leave a 1/2 inch edge all around.

  4. Top each breast with 1 slice of prosciutto tear or fold to maintain the 1/2 inch border.

  5. Starting at the thinner, point end, roll the chicken breast firmly but not too tightly. Secure with toothpicks as needed. Make sure you know how many and approximately where they are, trust me.

  6. Wrap the chicken rolls with prosciutto. You can totally enrobe them or for a less salty version, wrap without overlapping..

  7. Place in a baking dish and roast in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 160 degrees. Allow to rest until the internal temperature is 165. Remove all of the toothpicks

  8. Serve with a drizzle of the pan juices if you like.

Summer Memories in Winter’s Chill and Balsamic Marinated Chicken

DIGITAL CAMERAWinter…Mother Nature’s sick joke. As most Midwesterners and from what ! hear on the news, 75 – 80 percent of the rest of the country know, Mother Nature has some kind of crazy bug up her bustle. Insane low temperatures, more snow than anyone knows what to do with, and winds that blow that snow around like a demonic snow globe, creating wind chill factors in the negative 30 degree range (Is that a real number?)

Do you remember Summer? You know that time of year when it took 20 seconds to get ready to go outside; basically shorts, a tee-shirt and flip-flops. Once outside you were treated to flowers in brilliant Technicolor bloom, green grass soft and fragrant and sunshine that actually meant something. Summer is more than 125  days away. Winter seems to have hunkered down and shows no signs of going anywhere.DIGITAL CAMERA

I for one am settling in with warm weather memories, especially the Herbs of Summer. I remember those days when I would stroll out on the deck and snip glorious handfuls of basil, chives, rosemary and thyme. Their heady aroma released as they were plucked from a plants that seemed to have an endless supply.DIGITAL CAMERA

The basil and chives are gone now. They never make it past Indian Summer. The thyme and the rosemary are made of hardier stuff. Last year they held on to a bit of green all winter long and showed up in lots of dishes. This year winter hasn’t been as kind to these plants (or anything else for that matter). but I’ve kept them in their pots because they often come back in the Spring. Today I wanted to use some of these herbs in the Balsamic Marinade for my Baked Chicken.

I pulled on my boots, put on my coat, grabbed some gloves and a hat (it took 5 minutes at least) and ventured out to the deck. My rosemary and thyme were dry and brown, but when I gently brushed them there was still the essence of their glorious aroma as the leaves fell off. So I snipped some sprigs, gathered up the fallen leaves and brought them in the house. Washed and dried they gave off a subtle memory of their Summer glory that was still more intense than their dried brothers. They became a part of the marinade.DIGITAL CAMERA

I used a Fig and Orange Balsamic in this recipe but I think that any fruit balsamic would work well. The other main ingredients beside my thyme and rosemary were garlic, olive oil, and McCormick Italian Herb Grinder.DIGITAL CAMERA A few words about this product. It is a blend of many traditional Italian herbs including rosemary, red pepper flakes, peppercorns, garlic, onion, parsley, and sea salt. The salt by the way is subtle. The grinder can be adjusted for fine, coarse or in between dispensing. It packs more punch than regular Italian Seasoning, adding a nice touch to everything from eggs to pasta sauce.DIGITAL CAMERA

This is a Baked Chicken recipe, but when Summer is here or when you feel like braving the elements and firing up the grill, it would be delicious cooked outside.  The chicken can marinate for a few hours or even overnight. I divided the marinade in half. One part for the chicken and the other half for the glaze that would enhance the finished product. DIGITAL CAMERA

It baked at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. The glaze was the reserved marinade, carmelized shallots, some chicken stock, and a touch of honey. Served with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Green Beans with Bacon and Onion, it was a wonderful dinner that I got to share with my husband for a change (gotta love a snow day).

Balsamic Baked Chicken
Print Recipe
Quick and easy recipe for chicken that can be cooked in the oven or on the grill
Servings
2
Servings
2
Balsamic Baked Chicken
Print Recipe
Quick and easy recipe for chicken that can be cooked in the oven or on the grill
Servings
2
Servings
2
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Mix the vinegar, one tablespoon of olive oil, garlic, Italian herb blend, and dried herbs in a small bowl. Put the chicken breasts in a zip top bag and add half of the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Reserve the rest of the marinade for the glaze.
  2. When you are ready to cook the chicken. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the breasts in a cooking sprayed shallow pan. Bake until cooked through 25 - 30 miutes.
  3. If you are grilling the chicken. Heat the grill and spray lightly with cooking spray. Add the chicken and grill over medium heat turning once until cooked through 20- 25 minutes.
  4. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the glaze. Heat the remaining olive oil in a small pan. Add the shallots and cook until golden brown, 10 minutes or so. Add the reserved marinade, chicken stock and honey. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is thick and reduced by about 1/3.
  5. Transfer the cooked chicken to the plates and drizzle with some of the glaze. Extra glaze can go in a bowl to be passed at the table.
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