Too chicken to try a classic?

[1]

Image Thumbnail: 

here_and_now [2]

A Cordon Bleu — we mean the dish, and not the famous culinary school — is a breaded cutlet of meat. It involves pounding the meat thin (traditionally veal, but chicken and pork are popular alternatives) and wrapping it around a slice of ham or prosciutto, cheese, and then breading it prior to pan frying or baking it. A classical dish indeed!

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
½ pound Gruyere, grated
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to ¼-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay a slice of prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the breast and sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the prosciutto. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper, and melted butter. The butter will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and season so the flour, the eggs and the crumbs are all seasoned.
Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs. Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the roulades onto it. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked through.
Cut into pinwheels and serve on top of Brussels sprout hash with chicken jus and cranberry chutney, if desired.