Chicken Cordon Bleu Panini

Chicken Cordon Bleu has always been one of my favorite recipes ever, and it’s all my older brother’s fault (hi, Andrew!!!) Andrew made Chicken Cordon Bleu all the time when we were growing up, and I mean, who can resist a crispy chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese???

Pete and I have been sorting through our belongings over the past few weeks, and there are two kitchen appliances that I INSISTED on bringing to our tiny NYC apartment that I actually hadn’t used yet: my waffle maker and my panini press. These two appliances take up some quite valuable kitchen real estate, so I’ve been making more effort to use them. So panini recipe #1 is everything wonderful about Chicken Cordon Bleu, pressed into a crispy sandwich!

Start by making some pan-fried chicken cutlets. I basically did the same process as my Crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken, but I left out the herbs and cheese:

Next, cut four ciabatta rolls in half and butter the tops and bottoms:

I like using ciabatta rolls for my paninis because I LOVE crusty and crispy food, but if you want to use a more traditional sliced loaf, that works too!

Spread mustard onto half of the rolls, then layer on ham and swiss cheese:

Cut the chicken cutlets to fit each sandwich:

Put the tops on:

And now the sandwiches are ready to be pressed:

Press for about five minutes, until the bread is golden and crispy, and the cheese is melted.

Cut in half and enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Panini

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Prep Time:5 minutes

Cook Time:15 minutes

Total Time:20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken cutlets
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper
• olive oil, for frying
• 4 ciabatta rolls, or other bread
• butter, for spreading
• coarse dijon mustard, for spreading
• 1/4 lb thinly sliced swiss cheese
• 1/4 lb sliced deli ham

Directions:

1. Preheat your panini press to high.
2. In preparation for breading the chicken, place the flour, egg, and panko each in a separate dish. A shallow bowl works best here. Use a fork to whisk the egg slightly. Now take each chicken cutlet, season it with salt and pepper, and then coat it in flour, egg, and panko, in that order. Set aside.
3. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet and add the chicken. The chicken will need about 4 minutes per side and should be golden brown and crispy on each side when ready. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pan and set aside.
4. To make the panini, take the ciabatta rolls and slice them in half lengthwise. Butter the top and bottom of each roll. Next spread a little mustard on the bottom half of each roll. Layer on the cheese and ham by placing a slice of cheese on both the bottom and top pieces, and a piece of ham on just the bottom. Next, place a piece of chicken on the bottom half of each sandwich. Top the sandwiches and move to the panini press.
5. Pressing down on the panini press, grill until the sandwiches are golden brown and the cheese is melted, about five minutes. The sandwiches are now ready to enjoy!

All images and text ©Fifteen Spatulas.