Chicken Cordon Bleu

Tyler Florence provided this recipe on Food Network's Website. I've always wanted to try to make this dish and was for some reason extremely intimidated by all the steps. Trust me, if I can make this, you can make this. 

4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless

4 thin slices of prosciutto or smoked ham

1/2 pound Gruyere or Swiss Cheese, grated

1/4 cup all purpose flour

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs

4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4 inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay a slice of prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the breast and sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the prosciutto. Tuck in the sides of the breasts and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight to form a nice log. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper and melted butter. The butter will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and season so the flour, the eggs and the crumbs are all seasoned.

Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs. Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the roulades onto it. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked throughout. Chicken needs to reach 180 degrees as an internal temperature. I cooked my chicken for about 35 minutes.