Mini Chicken Cordon Bleu for Bacon Lovers!

A mom has to stop and make something fancy once in a while, right? How about some Chicken Cordon Bleu? Just saying “Chicken Cordon Bleu” makes me feel classy! I mean pair it with some rice pilaf and chocolate truffles and we’re ready to go! Of course, my husband requested mashed potatoes — so that’s what we ate.

mini chicken cordon bleu

My favorite part of this dish was everything about the dish — really. My husband said this HAS to be added to our regular line-up of recipes! Seriously, if you’re married, you can’t go wrong with this fried chicken dish filled with bacon and cheese. That’s really what it is, fried chicken tenders all dressed up. Plus, we have bacon-lovers around this house, do you? The bacon adds a nice touch to this recipe and blends so well with the Swiss Cheese.

I chose Ritz crackers for my breadcrumbs because I love Ritz. Where I live, it can be hard to find some Western snacks, but we do have Ritz! Yay! Ritz already has butteriness to them, so no added butter was needed for the topping. They are also perfectly salted, so typically they are my fave breadcrumb topping.

Ready to please your hubby and add a recipe to your entertaining guests list? Here we go!

Disclaimer: This recipe takes gentleness and care — except for the flattening chicken part. Be patient while you cook and you will end up with a wonderful, edible masterpiece!

Mini Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

8 boneless, skinless chicken tenders
10 slices of bacon, diced, cooked half-done and drained
4 slices Swiss Cheese
15 Ritz crackers crushed
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chicken boillan
2 eggs
1 cup water
1 cup flour
toothpicks

Directions:

Place chicken tenders on cutting board and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Next, using the smooth side of a mallet, gently pound to desired thickness, I chose about 1 cm thick. Now, remove plastic wrap. Cut Swiss cheese into long, skinny pieces. One piece should cover half of the length of the chicken tender and the complete width of the chicken tender. Next, place a cut slice of Swiss cheese onto the chicken tender. Add one heaping tablespoon of bacon pieces. Roll up, starting from cheese side and secure with two or three toothpicks. Repeat for remaining chicken tenders.

Now, combine eggs with one cup water and whisk to create an egg wash. Prepare the flour mixture by stirring together flour, paprika, bouillon and salt. Now, prepare the breading in a separate bowl by adding crushed Ritz crackers.

Then, gently roll each tender in egg wash first, then flour mixture, then egg wash again and lastly cracker crumbs. Place gently on a large plate until all tenders are coated.

Now, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, heat 2 inches of oil in frying pan. Gently and slowly remove toothpicks and carefully place chicken tenders in pan of hot oil. Cook only until golden brown. Remove from oil and heat and place on ungreased, glass baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese oozes out. Serve hot with honey mustard dipping sauce. Yields: 8 Mini Chicken Cordon Bleu Tenders.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
14 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Chill until ready to serve.

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