Chicken Cordon Bleu

{yes I'm trying to make them from scratch and yes, you should be impressed... We'll see how these turn out! I found this recipe one night as I was flipping through my "The I Do Cookbook for the Bride and Groom" I got for my wedding... What's life if you don't try a few new things once in a while right?! Right. So here goes... easily the most complicated recipe I've tried yet (not to worry, its fairly simple) The prep time for this was about 20 minutes and I didn't make it the night before... just 4 or 5 hours before I needed it to be done. I was really surprised at how simple it was...}

{No, I these are not mine... this is what they're supposed to look like}


{Not too shabby if I do say so myself...}

{ingredients}
4 boneless chicken breast halves {i just ended up using two breasts and cut them in half the long way}
1/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs {i ended up using a little more than that, eyeball it and go with it}
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese {i'm not quite sure how much i liked the grated... it didn't stick very well to the chicken... next time i might try the cheap powdery stuff...}
4 thin slices of ham {just bough my husband some lunch meat and used that}
4 strips of white cheese (1/2 " thick and 1 " long) {I used about 1 1/4 string cheese stick cut into four pieces}
1/2 c. butter-melted {i used about 6 tbsp. so not quite a 1/2 c.}

{directions}
1. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil
2. Place chicken breasts, one at a time, between two sheets of wax paper or in a plastic food bag {i used a gallon Ziploc}. Gently pound with flat side of a meat tenderizer until each is about 1/4" thick. {i didn't have a meat tenderizer so i used my smooth potato masher... worked well enough}
3. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside {i put them in a shallow Tupperware container. it made it easier to dip into}
4. On Each flattened chicken breast, lay a slice of thin ham. {seriously, all you need is one, even if it doesn't cover your chicken all the way.}
5. place a strip of cheese on top of ham at the end nearest you. {i found that the end easiest to curl first was the wider and roll into the thinner end} Fold edge of chicken breast over cheese, fold in sides and roll up to enclose the ham and cheese as tightly as possible. {honestly, all i did was roll it to the best of my knowledge... and stuck a bunch of toothpicks through it to keep it from falling apart}

*note: when using toothpicks and raw chicken, you will want to pick out the toothpicks before you touch the raw meat... then you keep your box of toothpicks clean.*

6. Dip each rolled chicken breast in melted butter and roll in bread crumb mixture until evenly coated.
7. Place, seam down on prepared pan. Drizzle with remaining melted butter. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until the next day.
8. Preheat oven to 425
9. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink when lightly slashed.

{serve with Mornay Sauce} {Serves 4}

{This dish freezes well. Increase baking time about 15 minutes if frozen}