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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