Chicken Cordon Bleu (or pork)

Cordon bleu made with pork cutlets.

This recipe is one of the reasons I like to make beaded chicken cutlets ahead of time and freeze them for later use. In actuality, this recipe can be made with veal, chicken or pork cutlets, and although I usually make it with chicken, for the photos in this post, I'll be using pork cutlets since I have some in the freezer already breaded and fried and I'm out of chicken and too lazy to cook some simply for the sake of photos.

In most cordon bleu recipes, the filling is Swiss cheese and sliced ham, but you can use Havarti or other cheeses and other cured meats like prosciutto. There are also variations on how to 'fill' the cutlets; some people pound them really thin before breading and frying, so they can be rolled into a pinwheel (like a braciole) with the ham and cheese layered inside; others use a thick piece of meat and cut a pocket inside and stuff before breading and frying, i like a more simple method of either stacking or folding the cutlets depending on how big they are. Because I'm using cutlets that have already been fried, I'll be stacking.

In the traditional recipe, you would stuff the meat in whatever fashion you choose before coating in egg and breadcrumbs. Then you would carefully fry until golden brown. THEN you would bake to finish cooking with the mushroom and wine sauce. In this version, the meat is cooked and only needs to be heated with the mushroom mixture once assembled.

I'll start with a cutlet, add a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice or two of ham, another slice of Swiss, and stack another cutlet on top. Making sure the cheese touches each cutlet helps to hold things together once the cheese melts. I like this dish for when I'm entertaining because there's a lot you can do ahead and then pop it in the oven when it's time to serve.

THE RECIPE: For the Sauce

1 small onion slivered and halved

Sliced mushrooms (about 1 cup per serving of meat

4T butter

2T flour

1C white wine

1C broth of your choice depending on the meat (or 1T soup base and 1 cup water

Salt / Pepper to taste

Begin the roux by caramelizing onions

When onions are golder, you're ready for the slour

Sprinkle to flour

Whisk to combine and thicken

Add soup base of broth

Whisk until well blended

Add white wine and simmer stirring constantly

WHen thickened, add water if you used soup base.

This is thesonsistancy after adding soup / water and wine

Add mushrooms and simmer covered

Mushrooms are done

• In a skillet, melt the butter, add a dash of salt and the onions and simmer until onions caramelize to a golden brown.

• While onions are cooking slice the mushrooms

• Once onions are done, sprinkle the flour into the skillet and whisk until the flour cooks to a deep golden.

• If using soup base rather than broth, stir that in while cooking the flour

• Once the roux is a deep golden, add the wine and whisk constantly until combined and thickened

• Add the cup of water and whisk until smooth.

• Add the mushrooms, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

• Season with salt / pepper

Remove from heat and set aside until ready to heat the cutlets.

For the Meat

Chicken, veal or pork cutlets

Sliced ham

Sliced Swiss cheese

If you need to fry the cutlets, see my Fired Chicken Cutlets recipe

Layer Swiss on both cutlets

Layer ham on one

Carefully stack the 2 cutlets

Cut each one in half

Carefully transfer to a baking dish

COver with mushroom mixture when it's time to heat

• Layer the breaded and fried cutlets with Swiss and ham.

• Once the cutlets are 'stacked' depending on the size, you may want to cut them in half.

• Place Cutlets into a deep(ish) baking dish

• Pour the mushroom mixture over the top and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

• Bake in a low oven 275 to 300 degrees to heat through.

  
  

  

  Pork cutlet cordon bleu