Chicken Cordon Bleu (but with chorizo & piquillos)

February 17th, 2010 | Filed under: entree, recipe | Tags: , , , ,

Yeah – I have no business whatsoever calling this Chicken Cordon Bleu. It’s more like Spanish-style stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in ham and cheese. But that’s not the most eye-catching title. Whatever you call them, these chicken breasts are pretty amazing. Also, pretty simple to make.

Just butterfly some chicken breasts and stuff them with spicy Spanish chorizo and Piquillo peppers (roasted red peppers work too). Close them up, wrap them in ham and cover with a slice of provolone cheese and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Into the oven for a bit, and out comes a one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever made.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (but with chorizo & piquillos)

Tom says that only a Cuban would come up with the idea of chicken stuffed and wrapped in pork. And he’s kind of right – we do think pork makes everything taste better. (Sorry vegetarians!)

Chicken Cordon Bleu (but with chorizo & piquillos)
Feel free to brine your chicken before using. I didn’t (because I’m lazy) and the chicken was still surprisingly juicy. Must be all that pork fat and pepper juice.

4 chicken breasts
4 oz. spicy Spanish chorizo, casings removed and roughly chopped
8 piquillo peppers (or 4 roasted red peppers)
4 slices of black forest ham
4 slices of provolone cheese
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
8 toothpicks

Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a casserole dish. Butterfly the chicken and stuff each breast with 1 oz. chorizo (1/4 the amount) and 2 piquillo peppers (or 1 red pepper). Close the chicken breast up with your toothpicks.

Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of ham and place in the greased casserole dish. Cover each piece with a slice of cheese and sprinkle all over with the smoked paprika.

Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melty and brown.

Makes 4 servings.

12 Comments on “Chicken Cordon Bleu (but with chorizo & piquillos)”

  1. 1 favaunt said at 8:56 pm on February 17th, 2010:

    How does Tom not weigh 400 lbs?

  2. 2 Brandie said at 10:22 pm on February 17th, 2010:

    This looks awesome – what a great idea.

  3. 3 grace said at 5:27 am on February 18th, 2010:

    to say that i like the way you think would be an understatement–this is outstanding. traditional chicken cordon bleu is useless to me now. :)

  4. 4 lizounette said at 6:58 am on February 18th, 2010:

    Yumm! Pig and paprika make any dish better.

  5. 5 Ed Schenk said at 7:39 am on February 18th, 2010:

    Great job! CHicken breast is a wonderful with a variety of stuffings.

  6. 6 we are never full said at 8:16 am on February 18th, 2010:

    very nice flavor combo. to spanish it up even more you could use jamon serrano – but that would also add some more $$$ to the meal!

  7. 7 stacey snacks said at 8:19 am on February 18th, 2010:

    Mel,
    Great weeknight dinner, I love stuffed chicken breasts.
    I think I will use Serrano for the outside and try it with the peppers inside!

  8. 8 Waylon said at 3:51 pm on February 18th, 2010:

    May be a silly question, but I assume the chorizo you used was smoked and not the chorizo that must be cooked?

  9. 9 mel said at 4:12 pm on February 18th, 2010:

    Favaunt – I’ll work on fattening you up next week.

    Thanks everyone! Serrano Ham is a wonderful idea :)

    Waylon – Yes, it’s the Spanish-style chorizo like this

  10. 10 Natural Selection said at 8:45 am on February 19th, 2010:

    If chicken breasts are making a comeback this is it,this is the way.
    very nice!

  11. 11 Su-yin said at 10:00 pm on February 20th, 2010:

    This is a great idea, thanks for sharing!

  12. 12 Cookin' Canuck said at 10:18 pm on February 22nd, 2010:

    Whatever what you want to call these, they look fantastic! I also worry about chicken breasts being too dry, but the fat from the chorizo and provolone would work well to add moistness.

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