Mar 4, 2010

Chicken Cordon Bleu & Chive Mashed Potatoes


My job is a greedy hog that devours every minute of my time. And there's no way to tame the beast. In fact, the only time-saving investment that would make sense at this point is a cubicle cot. Welcome to the wonderful world of advertising.

Lately, I’ve had so many late nighters and work-through weekends that my personal life has been reduced to a measly thirty minutes a night. Hmm, let's see...should I blog? Practice violin? No way. I spend that time wisely – staring blankly at the tube.

So I did what had to be done. I gave in and wasted a precious vacation day to catch up. I decided it would be a perfect Monday at home. Just me, Meg Ryan and a large bowl of something insanely fattening. I'd paint my toenails, do a little writing and take a random nap just because I could.

But in all my planning, I forgot to factor in that I'm a huge procrastinator. Huge. So all weekend long I pushed my chores aside and before I knew it, my magical Monday off became laundry-cleaning-bills day. And of course I still had to make my weekly recipes. But who says baking coffee cake and preparing a big fancy dinner isn’t the perfect way to spend a one-day-only vacation?

Ok, so I wasn't thrilled, but luckily I got to take out my aggression on some very unlucky birds. I doubled this recipe like I so often do, so after eight stress-relieving pounding sessions I was already feeling better and chicken cordon bleu was in the works.

Next, I sprinkled the chicken with salt, pepper and oregano, topped with prosciutto and mozzarella and rolled it all up. Next time, I think I'll reduce the oregano as it was just a tad overpowering.

  

  

  

  

Then came the fun part. I've always just used the typical flour-egg-breadcrumb routine for chicken, and I'm really digging all these new coatings I'm learning to make. This one called for a dunk in a savory mix of melted butter, chicken broth and garlic, then a dredge in breadcrumbs, paprika and fresh parm. Yum. I laid the rolls in a pan and drizzled the tops with leftover garlic butter goodness. You know it's going to be an amazing meal when it makes your mouth water even in its raw state.

  


  

  

While my chickens baked, I made the mashed potatoes. I just love mashed potatoes. They're so easy to make and so yummy. This recipe adds butter, milk and chives for the perfect creamy side. I didn't have whole milk so I used skim and added a bit of sour cream. Does that even work? Who knows.

  



  

  


Before I knew it, everything was done. Including my day off. My husband happily arrived to a clean, organized, garlic-infused home, but I, the one on vacation, was flat out exhausted. Go figure.

But let me just tell you how great this meal was. Tender chicken. Melty cheese. Salty prosciutto. Buttery, garlicky, no-way-this-is-baked-and-not-fried crust. Dip a big slice of that into a heaping pile of creamy herbed potatoes and no matter what your problems are, you'll smile. Promise.

  

  

  

I’m not trying to say this meal instantly relieved all the pain of my vacation-gone-awry, cause hey, I really could've used a break. And a foot massage. But it was very delicious. And for the next 20 minutes, my mouth was far too stuffed to even think about complaining.

  


Chicken Cordon Bleu
Cooking Light, December 2005
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 rolled chicken breast half)

Cookbook Note: This lightened version of Chicken Cordon Bleu remains tres dé licieuse despite a modest amount of butter. Fix mashed potatoes and a side of green beans while the chicken bakes.

Ingredients:

1/4  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
5  teaspoons  butter, melted
1  large garlic clove, minced
1/2  cup  dry breadcrumbs
1  tablespoon  grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1  teaspoon  paprika
4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  dried oregano (I would reduce this a bit)
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
4  thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
1/4  cup  (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place broth in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 15 seconds or until warm. Stir in butter and garlic. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and paprika in a medium shallow bowl; set aside.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, oregano, and pepper. Top each breast half with 1 slice of prosciutto and 1 tablespoon mozzarella. Roll up each breast half jelly-roll fashion. Dip each roll in chicken broth mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place rolls, seam side down, in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour remaining broth mixture over chicken. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until juices run clear and tops are golden.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 297 (30% from fat), Fat: 9.9g (sat 4.4g,mono 3.6g,poly 1g), Protein: 45.5g, Carbohydrate: 3.8g, Fiber: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 125mg, Iron: 1.9mg, Sodium: 619mg, Calcium: 94mg.



Mashed Potatoes with Chives
Cooking Light, August 2005
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Ingredients:
2  pounds  Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
1/2  cup  whole milk
3  tablespoons  butter
1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
2  tablespoons  chopped fresh chives

Preparation:
Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain.

Combine whole milk and butter in a small saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat until butter melts. Remove milk mixture from heat.

Return potatoes to pan; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Add milk mixture, salt, and pepper, stirring until well combined. Stir in chopped fresh chives.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 187 (30% from fat), Fat: 6.3g (sat 3.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.2g), Protein: 4.3g, Carbohydrate: 27.7g, Fiber: 1.8g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Iron: 1.3mg, Sodium: 215mg, Calcium: 24mg
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23 comments:

Unknown said...

This looks absolutely delicious!!! I hope it's not too time consuming, I'm an impatient cook. :)

3 hungry tummies said...

They look fabulous and they are not even fried! Bravo!

Lee said...

Oh my god those look good!!

Kathryn said...

Wow, I have to say these look amazing, and it looks fun to make, but what is prosciutto??

Ma What's 4 dinner said...

I can't believe it's not fried first!!! It looks like it's fried! That's just baked? Well count me in!

Alex aka Ma What's For Dinner?
www.mawhats4dinner.com

Ms. Diva said...

That looks fabulous!!!! I love the recipes you put here!!! CCB is a favorite with my kids and I'm going to try this light version!!! Thanks!!

I have something for you on my blog!!!

teresa said...

you're a busy girl! good for you for taking care of yourself with good food and good tv though! i can only imagine how good this must have smelled while cooking, delicious!

Rachel said...

Kathryn - prosciutto is an Italian ham. It's so good! You should try it!

Alex - Nope, it's not fried! Although it definitely tastes just as good!

This really is a great dish guys. Takes a little time to make, but worth it. Especially if you double it.

Lisa Anne said...

OMG it's like heaven on a plate. I want to make this. I'm totally going to follow you and add you to my blog roll. I'm always looking for great recipes and I love how you post pictures as I'm a visual person!!

Unknown said...

this is my husband's favorite meal--i have to make it at least once a week!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Looks fantastic! I've never made chicken cordon bleu now that I've seen yours I want to and mash potatoes are always welcome on my children's plate.

Bummer about your vaca day and work's hecticness. Things have been crazy at mine too! Hope yours settles down.
~ingrid

Small Burst said...

Girlfriend, I am coming over for dinner. So deeeelish! HOpe you get more R and R from work soon.

KimMalk said...

This looks absolutely wonderful! I wish I was having this tonight. --and be grateful you have a job that keeps you busy:)-- (stopping by from SITS)

Sherri @ Luv a Bargain said...

Oh my goodness...this looks simply delicious! Yummy!

Have a great Monday...stopping by from SITS!

The Blonde Duck said...

This looks amazing!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow. This looks absolutely delicious!

Stopping in from SITS.

The Blonde Duck said...

Bear is on his way over!

CreativeMish said...

Looks delish! FYI.... my vacation days seem to usually turn into chore and catch up days, too

Tina L. Hook said...

This looks great! I actually came across Cooking Light in the bookstore the other day and thought of your blog.

Anonymous said...

This looks yummy!

Betsy (zen-mama.com) said...

You inspire me! I'm going to try this with my parents when we're with them next week. I'm always reading Cooking Light. I need to act on the recipes. At least I'm inspired to make mashed potatoes tonight! Thanks!

Betsy (zen-mama.com) said...

Hi again Rachel,
I made them for my parents and family last night! Easy and delicious plus a big hit! We're taking the leftovers on a picnic tomorrow.

Mhel said...

Hi!! Just saw your comment you made about my chicken cordon bleu. Thanks... Yours turned out really well too. Cheers!

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