Steph's Virtual Bridal Shower: Chicken Cordon Bleu

Today's post is a special one.

A fellow blogger is getting married!! Today is her Virtual Bridal Shower. If you don't know Steph from Steph's Bite by Bite, you should. Her blog is one of the first I started to read before I decided to create a blog of my own. She's funny, cute, quirky, beautiful, and honest. I can always count on her to share a new and creative recipe that I'll immediately want to make myself. 

I was contacted by Kita to participate in Steph's Virtual Bridal Shower. To say I was so excited is an understatement- I love weddings! And bridal showers? I loved mine so much, from the food, decor, generous gifts, and amazing family and friends. Throughout this post I thought I'd share some pictures from my own shower.

I feel very honored to be a part of Steph's celebration. I decided to take the theme, Date Night, to heart. Last Saturday the hubby was home and I said, "Hey, go put on something nice and come cook with me in the kitchen."

"I have to cook?" hubby exclaimed.

"If you call putting a salad together and buttering some dinner rolls cooking, yes." 

Giving him any other task would be too stressful. At least he was a good sport!

I handled the main dish while we chatted about how annoying it is to shred romaine leaves. Once the chicken was in the oven, the rest was a piece of cake. He lit the candles so we could eat by candlelight. Our wedding china was pulled out. I set the table with our formal dinnerware. Soft music played in the background. Date night at home.

Our menu consisted of chicken cordon bleu, roasted broccoli, a side cesar salad, buttery dinner rolls, and apple crumble for dessert. It was the perfect evening. I encourage you to do the same. But dress up! It's so much more fun.

Source: slightly adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything
Servings: 4

For the Cordon Bleu:
2 large, thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets)
4 slices good quality deli ham
1 cup panko
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 slices Swiss cheese

For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.

Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with a slice of ham and top with a slice of Swiss cheese, layering across the chicken breast to make sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.

Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.

When the chicken is almost done, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly. Cook the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes.

Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. If your sauce is too thick, whisk in some more milk. If it's too thin, simmer longer.

Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce. 

Congratulations once again Steph! I hope you enjoy your Virtual Bridal Shower and have a gorgeous wedding!!