Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken cordon bleu has always been one of my favorite chicken dishes.  It's a fancier way to make chicken a little more special for company or holidays.  In Scott's family they have a tradition of eating chicken cordon bleu every year for Christmas Eve dinner.  In my family we usually have ham for dinner.  This year we weren't able to make it back to Kansas to see Scott's family for Christmas so I decided to combine both of our family traditions.  We had ham for Christmas dinner and I made this delicious baked chicken cordon bleu the next day with the leftover ham.  I had been putting of making this recipe because it seemed so complicated.  I was surprised when it turned out to be really easy and tasted like I cooked it all day.  Try this recipe the next time you want to elevate a chicken dish for any occasion.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts pounded to 1 inch thick

4 slices ham (we used leftover ham from Christmas dinner but slice lunchmeat ham will work too)

4 slices swiss cheese

1-2 cups Italian bread crumbs or Italian gluten free bread crumbs (if making a gluten free recipe)

1/2 cup olive oil

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Slice chicken breasts lengthwise.

3. Place 1 slice ham and 1 slice swiss cheese on top of chicken.  Flip the other piece of sliced chicken on top of the ham/cheese, making a "sandwich".  

4. Put the olive oil in a plate or shallow dish.  Place each chicken piece into the olive oil, making sure to coat both sides.  

5.  Repeat the same process with the bread crumbs, coating both sides of the chicken.

6.  Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish, securing with toothpicks if necessary. 

7.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is browned and juices run clear.  

Do you have any traditional meals around the holidays?

What's your favorite recipe to make with leftovers?