Chicken cordon bleu stuffed with prosciutto and smoked Gruyere topped with white wine sauce.

My husbands parents are in town and we all know how that can be. His mom is an amaaazing cook and the last thing I want is for her to think her son married a girl who can't cook!! Even though she has taught me so much, we've been married almost 6 years and she compliments my cooking when they're down.... it's still better to be safe and stay on my toes. :) I never try "new" dishes when they're down. No need to experiment and make them my guinea pigs. I like serving dishes I've made before that have already been stamped with my husbands approval.  We...let me rephrase that, I play a game with my husband called 1 thru 10. In this case 1 means "This is extra shitty and it belongs on the bottom of a SHOE!" and 10 meaning "God damn that's hella bombtastic!".  Well I had Dvr'd Tyler Florence ultimate chicken cordon bleu. I have made chicken cordon bleu a million times, with a white wine sauce. However, I have never used prosciutto and Gruyere cheese, let alone panko bread crumbs. I stick to the traditional seasoned bread crumbs. Sooo of course I want to try this dish when his parents are here, but I couldn't possibly risk everyone not liking it and all of us awkward at the table because the food tastes like a 1!!!  They aren't staying with us until Friday so I thought might as well try it tonight right? I couldn't find regular Gruyere cheese so I bought smoked. It is VERY flavorful, to the point I'm glad I did a trial run because it kind of overpowered the dish. All in all my husband gave it an 8, because of the "too smokey" flavor. Friday, I will pair the prosciutto with Gouda. I think that will get a much better result. 10 worthy even! lol. recipe as follows.

ngredients

• 4 chicken breasts skinless and boneless
• 4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
• 1/2 pound Gruyere, grated
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay 2 slices of prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the breast and sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the prosciutto.

Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight to form a nice log.

 Repeat with remaining chicken. (I let mine rest in the fridge for about 10 minutes to hold their form)

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper, and melted butter. The butter will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and season so the flour, the eggs and the crumbs are all seasoned. 

 (Look at the well rested beautiful ball of chicken! and best part, NO TOOTHPICKS NEEDED!!)

Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs.

 (all dipped and coated and ready to be baked.)

Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the roulades onto it. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked through. 

For the white wine sauce you'll need

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

I cut the recipe down drastically because I was just making it for me and my husband. This makes a lot of sauce.  If you don't like a strong wine flavor, I would cut the wine down to 1/4 with the rest of the amounts staying the same. If you cut the recipe down, maybe put just a few splashes of wine, and add more to your liking. You can always add, but you can't take out.

1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.    
2. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.