Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Chicken cordon bleu comes from the French word for blue ribbon, which is a term that is applied to food of the highest standard. A traditional version involves a lot of assembly. This pasta tastes just like the stuffed chicken breast, but in a luscious creamy pasta form that takes less work. If you’re looking for an elegant, yet comforting dinner dish that everyone will love, this is the one.
Everyone loves pasta and this recipe requires less technique to make than the original. The addition of pasta makes it a complete meal-in-a-pan.
Even better, you can easily make the chicken ahead of time and just warm it in the oven before you are ready to serve it with the pasta.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
-
3 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
-
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
-
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
-
1 teaspoon dried thyme
-
1 teaspoon salt
-
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-
1/2 cup olive oil
For the pasta:
-
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
-
1 tablespoon olive oil
-
2 cloves garlic, minced
-
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
-
1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
-
1 cup chopped deli ham
-
Salt, to taste
-
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
-
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
-
1 pound fettuccine pasta
Steps to Make It
Prepare the Chicken
-
Gather the ingredients for the chicken.
-
Brush both sides the chicken with the Dijon mustard.
-
Mix the panko breadcrumbs with the dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Coat the chicken breasts with the panko mixture on both sides. You may need to press the breadcrumbs into the chicken to get all of them to stick.
-
Heat the oil in a large frying pan on high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Fry on both sides until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
Keep the chicken breasts warm in a 200 F oven while you prepare the pasta and sauce.
Prepare the Pasta
-
Gather the ingredients for the pasta and sauce.
-
Cook the fettuccine according to the package directions.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds to one minute.
-
Whisk in the flour and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently to cook off some of the flour taste.
-
Whisk in the half-and-half and cook until warmed through but not boiling.
-
Whisk in the Gruyère cheese, a handful at a time until the sauce is rich and creamy.
-
Add in the ham and the pasta. Cook until the pasta is coated and hot. Top with chopped parsley.
-
Place a serving of pasta on each plate and top with some or all of each chicken breast. Serve immediately with more chopped parley.
Tips
- Fettuccine pasta works best for this dish as the wide, long noodles hold the sauce nicely and look beautiful beneath the fried chicken breast. However, you can use linguine or spaghetti if you wish. Short pastas can work as well. Just make sure to choose one that will hold a thick sauce well.
- You don’t have to pound out the chicken breasts if you don’t want to, but it makes them cook faster and provides more crunchy surface area.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 883 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 49g | 63% |
| Saturated Fat 13g | 65% |
| Cholesterol 126mg | 42% |
| Sodium 1678mg | 73% |
| Total Carbohydrate 60g | 22% |
| Dietary Fiber 4g | 14% |
| Total Sugars 3g | |
| Protein 48g | |
| Vitamin C 4mg | 22% |
| Calcium 247mg | 19% |
| Iron 5mg | 29% |
| Potassium 540mg | 11% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
