Chicken Cordon Bleu is a favorite for a lot of families all over the world, including Chicago. A delicacy for the skilled personal chef and not so skilled home cooks alike, it is easy to make and delicious to eat. The entire cooking procedure won’t take you more than an hour, prepping and cooking time included.

To get down to it, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 6  skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 6 slices  Swiss cheese
• 6 slices  ham
• 3 tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon  paprika
• 6 tablespoons  butter
• 1/2 cup  dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon  chicken bouillon granules
• 1 tablespoon  cornstarch
• 1 cup  heavy whipping cream

First of all, every aspiring personal chef needs to understand that the ingredients are not so rigorously fixed – you may always experiment on different blends of ingredients to get that signature style. While we’re on this particular list of ingredients however, the guidelines of cooking chicken cordon bleu apply.

To start off, you need to pound those chicken breasts, get them tender and flat, and make sure they’re not too thick. Lay the meat flat out and lay your cheese and ham slices on each breast within half an inch of the edges. Then, proceed to fold the edges of the chicken over the filling like you would roll bread. Once done, you can then use toothpicks to keep it in place while cooking for later. You then mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl and once done, here you coat the chicken pieces until they’re covered through and through.

The next step is to heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Then put the chicken in and cook it until it has turned into a golden brown on all sides. As you do so, add the half cup of dry white wine as well as the teaspoon of chicken bouillon granules. It should make for a nice sizzle and that indicates you to lower the heat, cover the pan, and let it simmer for 30minutes – or less depending on how you want your chicken done.

Lastly, remove the toothpicks. Cooked, it shouldn’t fall apart and you may now transfer the breasts to a platter. Proceed to slice it however thick you want it. You may then blend the cornstarch with the cream in a bowl, whisking slowly into the skillet until they make a nice thick mix. Cook it until it thickens and you may then proceed to pour it over the chicken. Serve it with some sweet chili sauce or mayonnaise and enjoy!

Other variations may use pork while some even prefer the dish baked instead of fried. All in all, there really is a wide variety of available alternatives to this dish, it all depends on what you or your personal chef wants. Since its first debut in mainstream kitchens in 1955, chicken cordon bleu has become a delicacy wonder in every household.