Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

 I don't usually serve this with a sauce, but I think this would work well with a Swiss cheese bechamel sauce.  

Once again, the emphasis is on simplicity and ease, although the chicken breasts have to bake for about 35 or so minutes.  It's important to keep a meat thermometer handy for this one. 

Ingredients:

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half butterfly fashion.
• Bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper
• Swiss cheese slices (1 per serving)
• Ham slices (1 per serving)
• Enough melted butter to coat each chicken breast

How to:

• Gently pound each half chicken breast to about a 1/2 inch thickness.  (I recommend wrapping each breast in a plastic baggie for this step.)
• Set one slice of cheese and one slice of ham on the flat breast, and roll up together using toothpicks to secure.
• Coat the chicken breast with the melted butter (works great if you just roll it in the butter on a soup plate.
• Then coat the chicken breast in the salted and peppered breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs will stick nicely to the butter coating. 
• Set on a baking tray and bake 35 minutes at 375 degrees F.  Use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature is at least 165 to 170 degrees F.

I like to serve with French fries or roasted potatoes.  I attached a recipe for Bechamel sauce.

Bechamel Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter.
• 1/8 cup flour.
• 1 to 2 cups of milk.
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste.
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg.

• Melt butter in a saucepan, then whisk in flour until smooth. 
• Cook the mixture until it achieves a light golden color. 
• Increase the heat, slowly whisking in the milk. Next, bring the bechamel to a simmer for about 10 minutes. 
• Salt and nutmeg to your preference.
• Melt in a few tablespoons of grated Swiss or parmesan cheese for added flavour.