Simple is, as simple gets—and this recipe couldn’t be much simpler. With literally just a handful or so of ingredients, you end up with this pretty impressive dinner in less than an hour.
A fun play on hasselback potatoes, Ree Drummond’s chicken is stuffed with Canadian bacon, Swiss cheese and a crunchy breadcrumb topping. Bonus? You can make this dish in advance and freeze until you’re ready to eat.
Easily cut in half, or even for two, each breast is enough for one serving for most eaters. We used regular Dijon mustard as opposed to honey Dijon which is sweeter. The Swiss cheese slice quarters were taller than the bacon moons so the tops were folded down to equal the same height as the bacon halves.
Consider using a large enough parchment-lined baking sheet so that there is room around each breast for more crisping around the edges.
Hasselback Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup honey, or regular Dijon mustard
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 6 Tbsp. salted butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 12 slices Swiss cheese, cut into quarters
- 24 rounds Canadian bacon (about 1 lb.), cut into half-moons
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- At a slight angle, cut 6 slits into each of the chicken breasts, making sure not to cut all the way through. You should leave roughly 1/4 inch unsliced. Transfer the slit chicken breasts to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the top of each chicken breast with 1 tablespoon of the mustard.
- Mix together the breadcrumbs, melted butter, salt and pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the chicken, using your hands to press the mixture into the mustard. Place a quarter piece of cheese and a half-moon piece of Canadian bacon into each of the slits in each chicken breast.
- Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the breadcrumbs are golden, 20 to 25 minutes (depending on the size of the breasts). Serve warm with your favorite sides.
- Freezing instructions: Once the uncooked chicken breasts are assembled, place 4 onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet; repeat with the remaining chicken breasts on a separate lined baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheets to the freezer until the chicken breasts are frozen through, at least 3 hours. Transfer the chicken breasts to 2 wax paper-lined foil pans. Label, date and freeze until ready to eat.
- When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake the chicken breasts from frozen until the chicken is cooked through and the breadcrumbs are golden, about 40 minutes. Serve as directed above.
Adapted from a recipe by Ree Drummond
Accounting for Taste 