Keebler wanted chicken cordon bleu for dinner, but I was SO not spending $2.50 for two measly little unfilling chunks of meat that we'll end up impatiently tossing into the microwave and eating to tide us over while we made real food. *laugh* So with about 30 minutes of preperation and a quick trip to the store for bread crumbs, here it is; gourmet with a budget, the dump cook way, and not nearly so much time spent:
Pseudo Chicken Cordon Bleu
(entire recipe is done in equivalents. As long as the chicken has no bones & no skin, there is some form of ham-tasting substance, there are breadcrumbs involved, and the cheeses are melted over it all, that's really all that matters.)
2 handfulls shredded swiss (or about a 2" pile of slices) (about 1.5 cups)
2 handfulls shredded provolone (or about a 2" pile of slices) (about 1.5 cups)
1 handfull shredded mozarella (or about a 1" pile of slices) (about 3/4 cup)
4 cups cubed turkey ham (or real ham)
6 cups cubed raw boneless skinkess chicken
3/4 cup fine italian seasoned bread crumbs
Put ham in bottom of 9x13 cake pan (or equivalent cooking dish), sprinkle 1/2 bread crumbs, top with chicken and rest of bread crumbs, then cheeses, spread evenly over entirety of meal.
Top cooking dish with aluminum foil, and bake in oven at 350, untill it smells really good. Check chicken for doneness. If chicken is not done, leave in oven for another 10-15 minutes. Don't worry about preheating, it's not needed and just wastes your electricity. *smile*
***For a vegan version, simply substitute Ocara patties for the chicken, imitation bacon bits and TVP (1/2c. of each) soaked together in hot water for the ham, and tofu cheeses for the cheeses.
Tastes almost exactly like the real thing!
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Comments: 16
I could probably even try that one!
thanks for sharing and I love the picture, makes it sound even yummier!
I am SO glad we got a new stove, that one looked horrid!
Patricia, That sort of cookbook has been done before, unfortunately not everyone has the same things as staples in their kitchens. The one I read assumed that everyone had buttermilk, fresh garlic, dried beef, and other such things in their cabinets. I know my mother never has any of these things in her kitchen...
If you want to impress your aspiring chef, put a few of the most perfectly square ham pieces on top of the cheese before baking. Serve on white plates cut into triangles with a side of garlic-butter sauteed red and yellow bell peppers and french cut green beans on a bed of purple or red leaf lettuce. Top the side dish with a dash of slivered (not ground) parmesean, romano, asaigo cheese blend.
Gourmet isn't about flavor so much as it is about the presentation, and this has both if the plate is arranged right. *wink* Be sure to share a photo and let us know what your daughter thinks of it if you do it up fancy. *grin*
Wish I had all that stuff in the house right now.
I'll have to make a list so it is ready the next time we grocery shop.
Your presentation ideas sound fabulous dahling!