Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu

I have several recipes for Chicken Cordon Bleu, each one cooked differently.  This is one of my favorite ways of making this tasty dish during the warmer weather, when I tend to grill more frequently.  It doesn't take a long time to prepare these special chicken bundles and they don't take long to cook.  Also, they can be assembled up to 8 hours in advance and kept in the refrigerator until ready to grill them.  That comes in handy when entertaining or when attending a barbecue meal where each guest is to bring their own meat to grill plus a side dish or dessert!

I found this recipe years ago in a Taste of Home magazine in the tear out recipe section.  There is no date on the recipe, but it does indicate it was submitted to the magazine by Shawna McCutcheon from Homer City, Pennsylvania.  This dish gets 8's all around on the Melnarik rating scale.

The week that I was making this dish and taking pictures for this blog, chicken tenders were on sale at the market, so I used them instead of chicken breasts.  The only difference is that the bundles are smaller when using the tenders.  I apologize for not having pictures of the flattening process.  To do so, I placed each piece of chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, and using a meat mallet, pounded each piece until it was 1/4-inch in thickness.  Above is the flattened chicken tender.

It gets really easy from here.  The recipe calls for 1 piece of deli ham.  For more flavor, instead of cutting it in half to fit the smaller size of the tender, I chose to fold the ham in half before placing it on the chicken.

I did choose, however, to cut the slice of cheese in half before adding it on top of the ham slice.

I then rolled it up, beginning with one of the narrow ends, and secured it with a wooden toothpick.  I repeated this process with each of the remaining chicken tenders.

After brushing each piece with olive oil, I rolled them in the seasoned bread crumbs.  At this point, the bundles could be refrigerated in an air tight container for up to 8 hours before grilling.

I then grilled them, covered, over medium-hot heat for 15 to 18 minutes, turning once during cooking.  This ensured they were cooked completely into the middle and that when cut, the juices would run clear.

When they come off the grill, they are a beautiful golden brown.  Guests get a nice surprise when they cut into these tasty bundles and they discover the ham and melted cheese.

When I prepare the bundles earlier in the day, I have more time to make a nice side dish as an accompaniment, plus the short cooking time is just enough to prepare a nice salad also.  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

6 slices Swiss cheese

6 thin slices deli ham

3 tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs

Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Using a mallet or rolling pin, beat the chicken to flatten it to ¼-inch thickness.  Place one slice of cheese and one slice of ham on top of each flattened piece of chicken, cutting as needed to keep the cheese and ham from going beyond the area of the chicken.  Roll up each piece of chicken and secure with a toothpick or thin metal skewer.  Brush each piece with oil and roll in bread crumbs to coat evenly.  Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 15 – 18 minutes or until juices run clear.