Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu

Made this unstuffed chicken cordon bleu for Sunday supper and it was a huge hit. I'm never stuffing it again, why go thru that extra work when you can just layer the ham and cheese on top of thinly pounded chicken breasts - so much easier, looks great, tastes fantastic. You are definitely going to want to try this for yourself - I made a couple little changes but even if you follow her recipe exactly it'll be great and you'll look like a rock star when people gobble this up!

We had a couple pieces left over and it made for a delish lunch the next day...actually it made for delish breakfast for me, lunch for others haha.

 INGREDIENTS:

•  2 tablespoons olive oil 
•  1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into spears/thin wedges (see pictures in the post for a visual) 
•  Salt and pepper 
•  4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), pounded to 1/4-inch thick or cut in half to form two thinner cutlets (see note) 
•  2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 
•  4 to 8 slices deli ham (exact amount depends on brand/size of slices) 
•  1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese 
•  15 Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed (about 3/4 cup) 
• 
  
• DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Make sure an oven rack is in the lower-middle position. Brush a large, rimmed baking sheet (about 11X18-inches) with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
2. Toss the broccoli with the remaining tablespoon of oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt), and a pinch of black pepper.
3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts side-by-side on one side of the prepared baking sheet (to help them fit, you can alternate thicker end to thinner end as you lay them down). Placing them close together (without overlapping) will help the cheese stay put as they bake.
4. Spread the mustard lightly over the top of each chicken piece. Top with 1 to 2 slices ham to cover and then add 1/4 cup or so of the shredded cheese evenly across the top.
5. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs evenly over the cheese, and press lightly so the crumbs aren't loose.
6. Arrange the broccoli in a single layer on the opposite side of the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes until the chicken registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer and the broccoli is roasted and tender. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the chicken. If the chicken still needs more time but the broccoli looks like it is finished, scoop the broccoli off the sheet pan onto a plate and lightly tent with foil while the chicken finishes cooking.
8. I recommend removing the chicken as soon as the sheet pan comes out of the oven so it doesn't sit in the liquid that will naturally pool on the bottom of the sheet pan.

My changes: I did green beans instead of broccoli, and roasted them on their own baking sheet - I made too much chicken for it all to be on the same pan. Used thinly sliced swiss cheese instead of shredded; and substituted coarse panko crumbs mixed with melted butter for the Ritz crackers. Oh man this is good ;)

The recipe came from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, click here for the original post.