The Painted Apron

Recipe Box, Twisted Marco Polo

Posted by the Painted Apron on November 18, 2012 · 1 Comment 

Ham & cheese is one of my very favorite combos, and I’m a pretty big fan of crispy chicken too so any version of Chicken Cordon Bleu is appealing to me! I have tried many versions of this and finally hit upon one that I absolutely LOVE. Here’s a couple of twists on Chicken Marco Polo or Chicken Cordon Bleu.  The big important tip here I learned from Tyler Florence on the Food Network, stay tuned and I’ll show you…

You did marinate your chicken in buttermilk, right? It’s okay if you didn’t, you are about to pound it to tenderness anyway

Lay out your boneless chicken breasts on a large piece of wax paper.  You know what? These are so big I think 1 will be enough for 2 portions

Top with another piece of wax paper and POUND, POUND, POUND until it is uniformly about 1/4″ thick

I used a rolling pin but use whatever you want.  If the paper tears due to your enthusiasm, just get out a new sheet.  The more evenly you can thin out this breast will insure even cooking and make life easier later.

I cut this puppy right down the center

I chose to use Boar’s Head Maple Glazed Honey Ham from the deli and Gruyere cheese for the filling

I used 1 ham slice and 1 LOG of cheese in each portion.  If you cut the cheese into a fat log you increase the melting time so it should be just oozy melting when the chicken is done.

HERE’S THE BIG TIP: Place the chicken onto a piece of saran wrap and ROLL UP TIGHTLY, tucking ends in and using the saran to keep the roll tight. 

Keep rolling tightly and when you get to the end

TWIST! Twist the ends of the saran wrap tightly

Tuck the ends under

and stick in the fridge for a while.  This will help the roll keep it’s shape and you won’t need piles of toothpicks to keep everything together.

After a few hours of chilling, the chicken is ready for breading.  I didn’t have enough Panko bread crumbs so I added some crushed pretzels.
Use anything you want to here, potato chips are DELICIOUS, pecans, regular bread crumbs, crackers, cornflakes,  MIX & CREATE!

a little beaten egg and you are ready

Roll the chicken around in the beaten egg until it is nicely coated

and dredge in the breading

and place in a cooking oil sprayed baking dish.  Professional looking, yes? If you have time, stick the chicken rolls back in the fridge for a while.

Before baking, shave a little butter across the top and give them an Olive oil drizzle. Then bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes until golden and cheese is just starting to ooze out.  Baste with pan juices once or twice during baking.

While the chicken was baking a I made a simple sauce of Dijonaisse [just a premix of mayo and mustard] and a little cream.  I warmed it in the microwave and whisked it together well.

You could also make a sauce with Mayonnaise, mustard and honey, or use a little Alfredo or Ranch dressing, whatever you like!

A lovely plate of spinach, romaine and fresh pear makes the perfect bed for this Chicken Marco Polo, a little drizzle of sauce and you have a very satisfying, lovely meal! With NO toothpicks!

See how the cheese is oozing out?

Would you like to try a bite?

Here’s the recipe:

CHICKEN MARCO POLO, “twisted”

Give this traditional dish a "twist" by serving on a bed of salad greens and drizzled with a creamy dressing

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, French

Servings 2

Equipment

• wax paper or saran wrap

Ingredients

  

• 1 large boneless chicken breast
• good quality deli ham slices 1 or 2 per portion
• Gruyere or any other hard cheese cut into thick logs
• breading of choice
• 1 egg beaten
• seasoning to taste Olive oil, S & P
• Honey Mustard, Ranch dressing or Alfredo Sauce

Instructions

 

• Pound chicken breast to a uniformly even thickness of about 1/4 ” between wax paper. Cut breast into 2 portions
• Lay ham slice or slices onto chicken, top with a log of chesse and lay onto a piece of saran wrap. Roll up tightly, tucking ends in and using the saran to keep roll tight. Twist the ends of saran tightly to secure the roll. Refrigerate for several hours to firm up.
• Crush preferred breading ingredients and season to taste [go EASY on the salt if using salted breading such as crackers, pretzels or chips]. Dredge chilled rolls into beaten egg and then coat with breading. Place into a greased baking dish and top with a few shavings of cold butter and an Olive oil drizzle. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, basting with pan juices once or twice, until golden and cheese has started to melt.
• Serve on a bed of salad greens with a warm dressing such as a honey mustard sauce, ranch dressing or Alfredo sauce

Keyword baked chicken, blueberry chicken salad, chicken and ham roll ups, chicken Cordon Bleu

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