The Back to School season of chaos has arrived! In our house, though life is certainly not back to “normal,” our schedules are as hectic as they have ever been. 3 boys, 3 lunches, 2 school drop offs, 2 school pickups, 1 very long carline, 2 baseball schedules, 2 swim practices, 5 baseball practices, all while ramping up for the busiest season of all for Chapel Hill Toffee. People keep asking me, “with your kids back in school, what will you do with all of your extra time?” Ha!

3 nights a week, we have baseball practices that end at 7pm, which means that dinner has to be quick if my kids stand any chance of being in bed at a decent hour. I am also looking for every opportunity to pack them with protein to fuel them through their long days. This Carolina Cordon blue is literally layered with protein plus sweet and herby flavors that are perfect for our fall evenings!

CAROLINA CORDON BLEU

By: Christy Bray Graves

SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp dried rosemary
  • ¼ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ cup fig preserves
  • 3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto or deli ham
  • 4 oz. brie cheese, rinds removed*
  • 4 oz. bleu cheese crumbles**

For the Coating

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 TBSP Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried thyme

For the Dijon Sauce

  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 2 TBSP all purpose flour***
  • ¼ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • 1 TBSP Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Recipe Prep

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
  2. Line a banking dish with aluminum foil (dull side up) and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

For the Chicken

  1. Wrap each chicken breast in plastic wrap and use a mallet to pound the chicken until the entire breast is an even thickness, approximately ¼ inch.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, dried rosemary and dried thyme. Sprinkle each chicken breast liberally with the spice mixture.
  3. Spread each chicken breast with 1-2 TBSP of the fig preserves. I find that the easiest way to do this is with my hands!
  4. On top of the fig preserves, layer each chicken breast with 1 or 2 slices of prosciutto.
  5. On top of the prosciutto, spread 1-2 TBSP of brie and bleu cheeses (either both, or whichever you prefer). Again, I find it’s easiest to use my hands!
  6. Roll the chicken breast up, jelly roll style, ending with the seam side down. Set chicken roll ups aside while you make the coating.

For the Coating

  1. In a small dish, combine the mayo and Dijon mustard.
  2. In a separate wide, shallow dish, combine the panko, dried rosemary and dried thyme.
  3. Coat each rolled chicken breast in the mayo/mustard mixture and then roll in the seasoned panko breadcrumbs.
  4. Place each coated chicken breast seam side down on the prepared baking sheet.
  5. Bank for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°.

For the Dijon Sauce

  1. Melt the 2 TBSP butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
  2. As the butter melts, scoop 2 loosely packed TBSP of flour into a small bowl. Use a fork to lightly “fluff” and sift the flour breaking up the lumps. Fluff until no lumps remain.
  3. Sprinkle the sifted flour into the melted butter, in small amounts, ensuring that you aren’t adding the flour in lumps. Stir as you go, incorporating all of the flour into the melted butter.
  4. Once the flour is incorporated, stir the mixture continuously and allow it to cook for one minute.
  5. Slowly pour in the wine or broth and deglaze saucepan, using your spoon to scrape the pan and lift up and stir in any stuck bits.
  6. Slowly pour in the whole milk, making sure to stir as you go. You don’t want to add all of the milk at once, simply pour slowly and stir, ensuring that the milk is fully mixed in as you add it.
  7. Add the Dijon mustard, dried thyme, salt and pepper.
  8. Keep stirring for 3-5 minutes until the sauce is fully incorporated. It will thicken as it cooks.
  9. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to your liking, adding more Dijon if needed.
  10. Pour the Dijon sauce over the crispy chicken breasts, serve and enjoy!

NOTES

*I found a lovely spreadable brie at Harris Teeter under the Alouette brand. Saves a step in not having to remove the rind from the brie.

**You may omit the bleu cheese and substitute with extra brie if that’s what you prefer!

***Do not skip the flour sifting step! The fork will act as a sifter to eliminate lumps in the flour. Lumps are your worst enemy in creating a smooth, creamy sauce!

 

As a wife and mom of three young boys, I often consider myself a master “chaos coordinator.” Between running our family business, Chapel Hill Toffee, managing our household and balancing busy schedules, I love to create quick and simple recipes that I know my family will enjoy – and my kids will actually eat!

My recipes are more of a guide than a perfect plan. I will always encourage you to use what you have on hand and make substitutions to suit your tastes. I invite you to share your own ideas, questions and final products with us on Facebook  and on Instagram by tagging @christybgraves and @wchlchapelboro.

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