Monterey jack cheese, Black Forest ham and spicy inexperienced chile are rolled up in boneless, skinless hen breasts and baked to tender, flavorful perfection on this enjoyable new (and simple!) twist on sous-chef. That is what hen sous-chef could be like after a tour of the American Southwest!
Hen Cordon Bleu is a basic of French delicacies that grew to become a staple of American eating places within the Sixties. Earlier than lengthy, dwelling cooks realized how simple it was to make at dwelling and began including it to their rotation, too.
My household has lengthy beloved variations on the theme, together with this hen sous-chef with creamy white sauce. However, this recipe for inexperienced chile hen sous-chef is my very own Southwestern take, impressed by the basic. And, it’s the model I hold coming again to.
Inexperienced Chile Hen Cordon Bleu
Having grown up in New Mexico and Arizona, I can confidently say that I’m extra aware of the flavour profiles of Southwestern cooking than some other. It’s completely my consolation zone.
So, if I’ve the chance to tuck my beloved inexperienced chiles right into a dish, you possibly can wager I’m going to attempt it. In lots of instances, they’re a welcome addition, however right here? They create pure magic.
The mild, smoky spice of inexperienced chiles is the proper foil for the creamy Monterey jack cheese, salty ham, and delicate hen. It’s a match made within the land of enchantment. When you’ve been trying to find a brand new hen recipe with actual Southwestern kick, that is the one.
Substances and Substitutions
The Meat – You’ll want boneless, skinless hen breasts and sliced Black Forest ham for this recipe.
The Cheese – I exploit each Monterey jack (for creaminess) and Parmesan cheese (to present the panko some further taste) for our sous-chef.
Inexperienced Chile – I’ve had readers attain out every so often to report that they will’t discover any inexperienced chiles at their native grocery retailer. Don’t sweat it. As a result of 505 Inexperienced Chile is my go-to alternative, and Amazon just about all the time has it in inventory.
The Seasonings – Seize your garlic powder, kosher salt, and cracked black pepper.
The Crust – Panko panko bread crumbs and olive oil cooking spray assist to present this sous-chef it’s signature crust.
Notes on Tools
- A 9×13 baking dish, or any medium baking dish of comparable dimension. It’s a type of kitchen staples that makes baking simpler. It’s sturdy and sturdy (I’ve had a few of mine virtually 20 years). And, I really like that it comes with a tight-fitting lid.
- A meat mallet or rolling pin
- Plastic wrap or parchment paper
- Toothpicks or skinny skewers
- An instantaneous learn thermometer – I heard rave critiques in regards to the Thermapen for years earlier than lastly giving in and shopping for one. Simply, wow. Lightning quick (and correct) temperature readings from any angle? Name me a lifelong fan.
The best way to Make Inexperienced Chile Hen Cordon Bleu
Preheating the Oven: Set your oven to 350°F.
Making ready Your Pan: I begin by calmly spraying a 9-inch by 13-inch (or different medium sized casserole dish) with olive oil cooking spray and set it apart.
Pounding Out the Hen: You’re going to want to position your hen breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and gently pound them out into a fair ½” thickness. I exploit a meat mallet for this, however you can too use a rolling pin.
Making the Rolls: Sprinkle either side of the pounded out hen breasts with garlic, salt and pepper. Then, I simply prime each bit of hen with sliced cheese, then ham, after which extra cheese.
Including the Inexperienced Chile: I unfold a tablespoon or two of inexperienced chile evenly over the cheese.
Pinning the Rolls: Roll the hen up and pin every roll closed with toothpicks or skinny skewers. It doesn’t need to be surgically sewn shut, however do your greatest to shut off any avenues of escape for the melted cheese.
Topping the Hen: I prepare the hen rolls within the pan so that there’s area round every roll to permit the new air to flow into. Then, I simply combine collectively the panko and parmesan cheese and sprinkle it excessive of the hen.
Baking: Pop the pan into the oven and let it cook dinner for 35-40 minutes, till the hen reaches an inside temperature of 165°F. The required time will differ a bit based mostly on the thickness of the hen.
Letting it Relaxation: Earlier than serving, I all the time let the hen rolls relaxation for five minutes. It helps hold every thing cohesive once you lower them open, so it’s well worth the wait!
Knowledgeable Tip
Have you ever observed that boneless, skinless hen breasts are sometimes enormous nowadays? For that motive, this recipe specifies utilizing 2 kilos of hen breasts as an alternative of claiming “4 hen breasts”. You might be way more prone to discover gigantic ones on the retailer than uniform, skinny hen breasts.
To organize them for cooking, do a fast evaluation. Are they beautiful thick? You’ll need to lower them in half horizontally to create two smaller hen breast halves. Are they already fairly uniformly skinny? Wonderful; much less be just right for you!
Whether or not you needed to slice them in half, pound them out a bit, or they got here already skinny, you’ll proceed with making ready them the identical manner within the recipe.
Spicy/Not Spicy!: Spice tolerance is a extremely particular person factor, and fortunately, inexperienced chiles are bought in all kinds of spice ranges to accommodate almost everybody. Delicate chiles are actually delicate… a step or two above bell peppers. Scorching ones are simply that, so select correctly based mostly by yourself preferences.
Put a Pin in It: You should definitely “pin” your rolled hen breasts shut with a pair toothpicks or a skinny skewer. This helps preserve the form and hold them from unraveling whereas they cook dinner in addition to serving to them retain the fillings.
To not be Tacky, however…: I prefer to let the inexperienced chiles shine as the only spicy component on this recipe, however if you wish to amp up the warmth, you need to use pepperjack cheese rather than the Monterey jack cheese. You possibly can even hit them with a drizzle of sizzling sauce, too.
Serving Strategies
When one thing that feels this fancy comes out of my oven, I prefer to hold the edges easy. Which means, I’m prone to serve this with only a excellent baked potato or a scoop of herb mashed potatoes and a few garlic butter roasted carrots or these inexperienced beans au gratin.
And, if I’m feeling the necessity for one thing gentle and recent? That’s when my trusty orange parsley salad or a basic Caesar salad come to the desk. Each of these salads are go-to dinner choices for me.
Make Forward & Storage
Make Forward: You can also make these hen sous-chef rolls as much as 2 days upfront of once you’d prefer to serve them.
Alternatively, you possibly can freeze the sous-chef rolls after they’re assembled, earlier than they’ve been baked. This offers you the choice to have them freshly baked at a later date.
The best way to Retailer: Let the baked hen rolls cool at room temperature for 20 minutes earlier than transferring to an hermetic container. Leftovers will be saved within the fridge for as much as 3 days and within the freezer for as much as 3 months.
To freeze this hen sous-chef with inexperienced chile for leftovers or meal prep, I simply tightly wrap every cooled roll in a double layer of plastic wrap to stop freezer burn and put these in a resealable plastic bag earlier than labeling and freezing. This lets you thaw and reheat as few or as many servings as you’d like directly.
The best way to Reheat: If frozen, place the specified variety of rolls within the fridge till completely thawed (about 12 to 24 hours). Bake as instructed within the recipe.
When you’re heating up refrigerated leftovers, simply wrap loosely in foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven or air fryer for 10-Quarter-hour or till the hen is sizzling during and the cheese is melted. If you wish to re-crisp the crumb topping, open the foil for the final 5 minutes of cooking.
Extra Inexperienced Chile Hen Recipes
Utilizing toothpicks to pin your roll closed is crucial. Some cheese is sure to flee and that’s high-quality, we simply need to hold most of it in there.
Oh completely! Simply be sure you use licensed gluten-free forms of panko crumbs, ham, and cheese for a gluten free model.
An instantaneous learn thermometer or devoted meat thermometer is your greatest buddy right here. You should definitely measure the temperature within the middle of the thickest a part of the hen and when it hits 165°F, you’re able to roll. Pun supposed.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a pointy knife to chop every of the massive hen breasts in half horizontally to create two hen breast halves. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to softly pound them to roughly ½-inch thickness. If utilizing 4 smaller sized breasts, merely pound them out with out slicing them first.
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Sprinkle either side of the hen items generously with garlic, salt and pepper. High each bit of hen with sliced cheese, then ham, then extra cheese and a tablespoon or two of inexperienced chile unfold throughout the cheese. Roll the hen up and pin every roll with toothpicks.
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Add the pinned hen breasts to a baking dish. Then, combine collectively the Parmesan and the panko crumbs and sprinkle generously over the hen.
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Bake for 35-40 minutes, till the hen is cooked by way of (165℉ inside). The required time will differ based mostly on the thickness of the hen.
Energy: 410 kcal | Carbohydrates: 4 g | Protein: 58 g | Fats: 16 g | Saturated Fats: 8 g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fats: 5 g | Trans Fats: 0.03 g | Ldl cholesterol: 175 mg | Sodium: 1182 mg | Potassium: 903 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 0.5 g | Vitamin A: 349 IU | Vitamin C: 6 mg | Calcium: 310 mg | Iron: 1 mg
Vitamin info is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a pointy knife to chop every of the massive hen breasts in half horizontally to create two hen breast halves. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to softly pound them to roughly ½-inch thickness. If utilizing 4 smaller sized breasts, merely pound them out with out slicing them first.
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Sprinkle either side of the hen items generously with garlic, salt and pepper. High each bit of hen with sliced cheese, then ham, then extra cheese and a tablespoon or two of inexperienced chile unfold throughout the cheese. Roll the hen up and pin every roll with toothpicks.
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Add the pinned hen breasts to a baking dish. Then, combine collectively the Parmesan and the panko crumbs and sprinkle generously over the hen.
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Bake for 35-40 minutes, till the hen is cooked by way of (165℉ inside). The required time will differ based mostly on the thickness of the hen.
Energy: 410 kcal | Carbohydrates: 4 g | Protein: 58 g | Fats: 16 g | Saturated Fats: 8 g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fats: 5 g | Trans Fats: 0.03 g | Ldl cholesterol: 175 mg | Sodium: 1182 mg | Potassium: 903 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 0.5 g | Vitamin A: 349 IU | Vitamin C: 6 mg | Calcium: 310 mg | Iron: 1 mg
Vitamin info is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
{initially revealed 10/27/11 – recipe notes and images up to date 4/22/26}
