Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken cordon bleu seems like a really complicated meal, but it's actually pretty easy to make since there are three variations to it. The basic flavors of chicken, ham, and cheese with a crunchy outer layer will be there no matter how you choose to make it. In order from easiest to hardest here are the ways you can make it. First, you can just lay the ham and cheese on top of the chicken breast and carefully bread the whole thing before setting into the baking pan. Second, you can cut a slit into the chicken breast taking care not to slice all the way through and stuff the ham/cheese inside before breading. Third, you can pound the chicken breast until they are very thin (or save the hassle and start with cutlets) then lay the ham/cheese on top and roll them up before breading. In this rendition I go for the middle ground with the slit cut into the chicken breast.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
4 slices cheese
4 slices deli ham
1 egg
1/2cu milk
bread crumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 450* and spray a baking pan. Prepare the chicken breast however you please. I cut a slit running about a half inch from each end and almost all the way through to the other side. Stuff a slice of ham and cheese into each chicken breast.

2. Beat together the egg and milk then dip each chicken breast before fully coating with bread crumbs. Place each breast into the prepared pan and spray with more cooking spray.

3. Bake on a lower rack in the oven for 20 minutes or until the edges of the breast start to brown. Rotate the pan and finish baking another 10-15 minutes until the juices from the chicken run clear and the bread crumbs are golden brown.