Smoked Turkey and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

For a while now,  I wanted to make Chicken Cordon Bleu, but I wanted to change a couple of things in the recipe.  I wanted a healthier version without sacrificing flavor. Chicken cordon bleu  usually has a bread crumb crust and is stuffed.

 I decided to make it without the bread crumbs and use low fat cheeses.  Making small changes to food we enjoy eating will eventually pay off.

Pounding the chicken with the mallet, until the chicken is about 1/4 makes the wrapping of the turkey and cheese easier. As you can see the cheese is oozing right out of the chicken.  I'm happy right now, perfect with a side of brown rice.

Using smoked turkey is a great idea...it's not greasy and the smokey taste makes the dish even better.

I like the combination of mixing a couple of different kinds of cheeses.  I love cheddar cheese so much, I can just live off of it with some bread or crackers.  I thought the sharp taste of the cheddar and the mild taste of the Swiss cheese will yield a nice and tasty dish. I have always said that I believe I was a mouse in my other life...my husband agrees.

The butter will keep the chicken nice and moist as it cooks in the oven and it will also give it a nice color too.  Eating a piece of dry out chicken is not the most appetizing thing.

 Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

salt and pepper
1 tbsp of butter cut in small pieces

8 slices of smoked turkey or smoked ham

12 slices of low fat Gruyere, low fat Swiss or low fat Sharp

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F

Butterfly the chicken breasts and pound them with a mallet to make them 1/4 inch thick  Season with the garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper.

Take two slice of smoked turkey or smoked ham and two slices of cheese and roll them together.  Put the roll up inside the chicken breast and roll the chicken breast into a log. If the chicken is not holding together, take a couple of toothpick and insert into the chicken to hold it in place. Put pieces of the butter on the chicken.

Place the chicken into a baking dish and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Take a slice of cheese and put it on top of each chicken breast, bake for an extra 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

Click here for the Brown Rice Recipe:
http://simplyriceandbeans.blogspot.com/2013/09/simple-brown-rice.html