Green Chile Chicken Cordon Bleu

Tender chicken breasts wrapped around Monterrey jack cheese, Black Forest ham and spicy green chile to create a fun new (and easy!) twist on cordon bleu. Everyone in my family enjoyed this and I am sure I will be making it again. I wrapped one without the chile for my middle son and he liked his just as well.

Green Chile Chicken Cordon Bleu
Yield: 4 servings

2 - 2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts (I used two enormous breasts that weighed over a lb each)
8 thin slices Monterrey jack cheese
2 large slices of Black Forest ham, each sliced in half
1/4 cup chopped green chile
toothpicks
garlic powder
kosher salt
freshly cracked pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons panko crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise to create a thinner breast. Depending on the thickness, pound the breasts to a uniform size. If your breasts are smaller initially, you may simply need to pound them out without slicing them first.

Sprinkle each side of the chicken pieces generously with garlic, salt and pepper. Top each thinned chicken breast with a slice of cheese, then ham, then more cheese and a tablespoon green chile spread across the cheese. Roll the chicken up and pin each roll with two toothpicks.

Mix together the Parmesan and the panko crumbs and then sprinkle generously over the chicken. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. The time will vary based on the thickness of the chicken. Enjoy!

Losing daylight at dinnertime = some really lousy pictures, sorry!

Click here for printable recipe