Cordon Bleu for a Crowd

Cooking Tip of the Day

Cordon Bleu… whether you chose chicken or whether you spring for the veal…. Cordon Bleu can be a fantastic possibility for a main dish at a celebration party. The presentation can be sensational and best of all it can be prepared ahead.

Another major perk to choosing Cordon Bleu as a main dish is that you can do a couple of simple vegetables (fresh asparagus, green beans or carrots to name a few) and a potato dish or a rice (pilaf is great for this) …. maybe include a light wine sauce on the side …and you’re good to go… very simple and elegant.

You can prep them and partially cook them in a skillet (see my Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe) and cover them loosely with foil and finish them up in the oven.

I would fry then until golden brown on each side… then bake them to finish them.

Baking times will vary… and you should check doneness with a meat thermometer.

I would definitely do a couple of “dry runs” by cooking them with this method for a family meal. The dish is delicious and not expensive to make…. so the dry runs should be enjoyable. Make note of the thickness of the chicken breasts you purchase for the dry runs…. and the heat setting on your stove… so you will be able to duplicate what you did during the dry run.

You can place an order with the butcher at your supermarket... make sure you specify exactly what you want.... the size and thickness... If you are purchasing a considerable amount... ask if you could possibly get a discount... I did... and the manager gave me a percentage off. Make sure to make the arrangements well in advance... talk to the butcher and ask how much notice they would prefer.

Each stove and oven is slightly different, so unfortunately, I can’t give you an exact setting and time for cooking… only approximates that worked for me, that’s why I would recommend you do a dry run and purchase an instant read thermometer, if you don’t already have one.