Cordon Bleu for Two!

Why does Monday come every week?  I think Monday deserves a day off every now and then, this would have been a good day for it.  Monday, if you're reading, I approve a vacation day for next week.  Enjoy your time off, as I would really like to as well!! 

This is the perfect Monday dinner.  It's quick, and surprisingly very flavorful.  It's my first time making this, and I admit I was a little taken aback by the end product.  It was simple, didn't require a lot of ingredients, yet everything fits together perfectly.  Bonus is that it's low fat!  Each serving is only 280 calories, which will be hard to believe when you're chowing down. 

The recipe is for two, so obviously I used two chicken breasts.  If you're cooking for more, this recipe is very easily doubled!

Cut each piece of chicken in half to make a little pocket.  Be careful not to cut all the way through!  My only tip here is not to rush, if you slice slowly with your knife you shouldn't have any issues.  I sliced Gruyere cheese and placed it in the middle.

Then added a thin slice of ham to the center.

Place chicken in a oven safe dish lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick.  Pour about 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over piece. Massage the oil into the chicken.

In a bowl combine breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper.  I debated covering the whole piece of chicken, feel free to do that, but ended up just sprinkling the breadcrumbs on top of each piece.  It worked great, and I honestly don't think it needed any more than that.  I also added a toothpick to keep the "stuffing" in the middle a little better.  Cook at 375 degrees F for around 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cook through. 

The cheese will have melted outside the chicken a little bit.  I scarped it off and put it on the bottom of the plate with the chicken on top, for a little extra cheese.  I didn't want to waste it!  This is a great change of pace if you're getting into a rut with your chicken recipes.  The breadcrumbs make it a little crunchy, and the cheese and ham were delicious.  Enjoy (except for you Monday, we're still fighting.)

Chicken Cordon Bleu for Two

2 boneless chicken breasts

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons Gruyere cheese *or you can use Swiss cheese

4 tablespoons breadcrumbs

1 1/2 teaspoons parsley

1 tablespoon evoo

2 tablespoons ham

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice chicken breasts in half, but not all the way through, to form a pocket.

Place Gruyere cheese and ham into pocket of each chicken breast.

Pour 1/2 tablespoon of evoo over each piece of chicken, massage oil into each piece.

Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over chicken. 

Place toothpick through chicken to keep the pocket closed.

Cook for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.