Chicken Cordon Bleu or should I say Chicken Cordon Babb (my last name) because I put my own twist on it…. Who doesn’t love BACON?
As a batchelor that loves to cook and make fancy meals. I like to take tried and true recipes and add a little twist. So I will go on pinterest and find something that goes along with something I like and add to or create my own. In this case I just change some of the ingredients to things I really like… In this case I substitute some ingredients I have around the house. Not only that but I like to see how the food pairs
with the Fine Wine from my Exclusive Wine Club . I will try a red wine (Adele 2021 Lodi Zinfandel) This is named after my dear friend Adele Antoniou who I get to see at our wine events a few times a year! I will also try it with the 2021 Parables in White.
Let’s Jump Right in With Chicken Cordon Bleu (Babb)
I use some of my fresh chicken breast from my last batch of chickens that came back from the processor Wednesday! These birds were raised with love and care on organic feed on fresh grass. I have a 16′ diameter pen that protects them from predators and I move it regularly so they are on fresh grass. I kept them warm when it was cold and cool when it was hot… Texas weather gotta love it! Raising my own meat is a labor of love… but I know where it comes from and that gives me a peace of mind that I am eating healthy meat that does not have any additives or preservatives.
I also chose to cook this a little different from the traditional flatten out the breast and roll it up with ham and swiss cheese and bread it and then bake it in the oven. I cut a space in the chicken breast similar to a boat. Then I cooked the breast in the Sous Vide at 145 degrees for 1 hour. This will make sure that the chicken will be done. These are big breasts and I want to make sure they are not dried out trying to get them cooked all the way.
Once they are done with that I open them up and add the ham and Greyere cheese. (That was another substitute instead of swiss) I then coat them in flour dip in the egg bath and roll in bread crumbs. Give them a golden brown in some olive oil and butter.
What fun is it to stick exactly to a recipe? Think outside the box!
Now the batchelor twist…. I wrap it in bacon and throw it on the smoker for about an hour with some seasoning sprinkled over it. That way you get a double crisp from the bread crumbs and the crispy bacon.
I load the smoker with oak and pecan so it gives you that rich smokey flavor. While the meat is smoking I try and clean up the kitchen and prepare to make the cream sauce. This goes amazing with our Fine Wine!
Out of this world Cream Sauce for my Chicken Cordon Bleu (Babb)
Here is where I add a few more twists to the traditional recipe I found on Pinterest. The sauce called for chicken flavored Bouillon cube, crushed… Sorry have you evre looked at the ingredients of bouillon cubes…Hard Pass. I make my own chicken broth by cooking the chicken carcasses in a roaster oven for several days. I add in apple cider vinegar and that leeches all of the vitamins and minerals from the chicken bones. They become so soft you can crush them in your fingers. Once the broth is done it provides several healthy meals for the dogs and cats but that is another page I need to create later…
I call it using what you got… LOL
The other ingredient I add instead of milk I use sour cream. Again I call it using what you got. I can’t justify buying milk because I never use it all and have to throw it out when it spoils so I just substitute in cream cheese or sometimes sour cream. You should try it sometimes…. Amazing… So Here is the recipe!
Ingredients
Chicken Cordon Babb
- 2 Chicken Breast, sliced to make a boat. (I hate it when I loose my cheese out the sides)
- Your favorite good quality ham
- Greyere Cheese
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp Lawry’s seasoning salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 TBSP Sour Cream
- 1 cup Bread Crumbs
- 2 TBSP Olive Oil
Cream Sauce
- 2 TBSP butter
- 2 TBSP all purpose flour
- 1/2 block of cream cheese
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth
- 1 TBSP Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions:
Slice both chicken breast in a way that makes them like a boat. Cook them in a Sous Vide for 1 hour at 145 degrees. Remove them and let cool enough to be able to handle. Once cool enough open them and add in your Greyere and ham. Then seal with a few toothpicks. Roll them in flour, Lawry’s season salt, and pepper mix. Then dip them in the egg and sourcream bath then roll them in bread crumbs.
Next we will brown them in the olive oil and butter at around 300 degrees. Just until golden brown. Let cool and remove the toothpicks so you can can wrap them with bacon. I reused the toothpicks. Now they are ready for the smoker. I sprinkled them with a my favorite rub.
While the Chicken Cordon Bleu is smoking, make the cream sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and continue to whisk constantly for about 1 – 2 minutes. Slowly drop in the chunks of cream cheese, then stir in the garlic powder and chicken broth, whisking constantly over medium heat until it begins to simmer and thicken – about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the mustard, worcestershire (Whose your sister) sauce, and parmesan until well combined and the cheese has melted. When the chicken is cooked, remove from oven and serve drizzled with the sauce. Enjoy!!!
In Conclusion: This Chicken Cordon Bleu (Babb) variation is worth a try!
Give this a try you won’t regret it…. If you want to try some of the best wine on the planet made the right way check out my page here that explains the club or Join Here!