French Onion/Cordon Bleu Chicken
This started out from a picture I saw somewhere. I, of course, had to add my own variations. This is a great way to make chicken dinner something special. This here is some serious eats, y’all !
Ingredients:
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs olive oil, divided
2 lbs sliced onions (Vidalia or sweet yellow or red onions are all good )
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 8 oz block of Swiss, grated or 1 8 oz package of long slices of Swiss cheese
4-6 slices of prosuitto ham (if you can’t find it “off the bone” deli ham is good),
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 cups beef stock
1 cup of red wine
2 Tbs flour
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
Directions:
- Plaxe a cast iron skillet on medium heat, add /4 cup of oil till it shimmers, then add sliced onion, and garlic. Salt substitute and ground ipepper to taste. Allow onion to soften and caramelize. (for extra unhealthy sweetness you can add unsalted butter or even a tsp of sugar) When caramelized, stir in balsamic vinegar. Remove onions from the pan and set aside.
- Season your chicken breasts with salt substitute, fresh ground pepper, thyme and sage. Add 2Tbs of oil into the same skillet on medium, cook your seasoned chicken breasts through. If your skillet is not big enough to hold all 6 breasts without overlapping, cook them in shifts. Cook on each side for 5-6 minutes. Do not move the around or they might rip or tear. Remove chicken when it reaches 165 and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. After chicken has cooled enough. slice across making a slot for the ham slices. Insert ham into the slots.
- Add beef broth and wine to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Whisk in flour and continue stir until the it thickens a bit. Make sure to get all the little bits of stuff stuck to the bottom.
- Once the sauce is at the right thickness, you need to return first, the onions, then the chicken to the pan. If you cooked your chicken in shifts, pour the thickened gravy into the bottom of a baking dish and follow the same steps.
- Place a spoonful of onions and sauce on top of each cooked chicken breast. Then wrap each of the chicken breasts with a long Swiss cheese slice. (or cover with grated Swiss cheese).
- Place skillet or baking dish on the middle rack and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
As my friend Jack Keller used to say, “Bon Apps!”.