I know, I know, this is getting ridiculous! Enough with the jars already Robin Sue. Here’s the issue: my kids love Chicken Cordon Bleu and ask for it for lunch, after school snacks, and dinner. Ever since visiting Germany, they are addicted to this dish. I am thrilled they like it, I mean it is a filling meal, and full of protein. But how do I have some constantly on hand to support their love of Chicken Cordon Bleu?
THE JAR.
After making these and jumping for joy at how simple they are to pack for my kids’ lunches, I discovered how lovely they would be for a formal dinner party, placed on a large white platter, and decorated with fresh herbs. Can you picture it too?
Let’s do it…
Lay 6 chicken breast cutlets out on a piece of plastic wrap so that they touch and overlap a bit. If you do not have chicken cutlets, take 3 chicken breasts and fillet them into 2 cutlets each. My chicken weighed 1 3/4 pounds.
Cover with plastic wrap and using a meat tenderizer pound meat into one big sheet of chicken.
Sprinkle with about 1 tsp. Kosher salt and some fresh cracked black pepper.
Cover chicken with smoked ham slices. I like an organic, uncured ham from my local deli. I used 8 ounces of ham, or 9 slices.
Top with about 10 slices of Swiss cheese and using the plastic wrap and working from the farthest side, start rolling the chicken roll towards you. This will not be perfect, do not cry!
Once you get the chicken into a log shape, cut into 8 even slices which are about 1 1/2-1 3/4 inches thick. Place each spiral down into a greased 8 ounce wide-mouth mason jar.
Mix 1 stick melted butter with 1 tsp. Kosher salt, black pepper, 1 T. parsley flakes, and 1 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs- must be panko as they stay crispy. Divide the crumbs evenly over the 8 chicken jars, about 3 tablespoons each. Place jars on a cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. About 20 minutes into baking, I tented my jars with foil to prevent the crumbs from burning, then removed the foil about 5 minutes from the end time. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack. Lid and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. These will freeze well.
I sent these to school with my kids this morning with a plate…
And a fork…
And a knife.
Mason Jar Chicken Cordon Bleu
6 Chicken breast cutlets, about 1 3/4 pounds
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
9 slices smoked ham, 8 ounces
10 slices Swiss cheese, about 10 ounces
1 stick or 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 T. parsley flakes
1 1/2 cups Plain Panko bread crumbs, no substitutions
Lay 6 chicken breast cutlets out on a piece of plastic wrap so that they touch and overlap a bit. If you do not have chicken cutlets, take 3 chicken breasts and fillet them into 2 cutlets each. Cover with plastic wrap and using a meat tenderizer pound meat into one big sheet of chicken. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp. Kosher salt and some fresh cracked black pepper. Cover chicken with smoked ham slices. Top with about 10 slices of Swiss cheese and using the plastic wrap and working from the farthest side, start rolling the chicken roll towards you. This will not be perfect, do not cry! Once you get the chicken into a log shape, cut into 8 even slices which are about 1 1/2-1 3/4 inches thick. Place each spiral down into a greased 8 ounce wide-mouth mason jar. Mix melted butter with Kosher salt, black pepper, parsley flakes, and Panko Bread Crumbs- must be panko as they stay crispy. Divide the crumbs evenly over the 8 chicken jars, about 3 tablespoons each. Place jars on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. About 20 minutes into baking, I tented my jars with foil to prevent the crumbs from burning, then removed the foil about 5 minutes from the end time. Remove from oven and serve immediately, or cool completely on wire rack. Lid and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. These will freeze well. Serves 8.
Note- To reheat, remove lid and place in the microwave and heat for 2 minutes on HALF power. (If you freeze these, remove from freezer, and defrost in fridge overnight.) Turn over on a plate and enjoy. Or if you would like the crumbs on top, use two forks and lift the Cordon Bleu from the jars being sure to pour that wonderful juice overtop each serving.
Tomorrow my kids will go to school with these Eggnog Muffins in their lunch. Baking them in these 4 ounce little jelly Mason Jars takes 18 minutes. The muffins, not the kids- they take longer and require bigger jars.
I am THANKFUL for MY FAMILY!
Robin Sue
32 Comments
"I know, I know, this is getting ridiculous!" I woundn't go that far, you're just getting very creative. Perhaps someday, you'll do pheasant and it will truely be under glass. The cordon blue looks delicious and your kids are very lucky.
that actually looks even better than the mason jar variety. glass is re-usable … plastic is not … so maybe some fancy restaurant will move away from the sous-vide cooking fad and pick up mason jars?
I hope your kids also don't return home with detention/suspension/expulsion. Many parents don't think about it but lots of schools have no tolerance policies on knives. Even table knives. Please give the school a call to make sure it is ok (that is, if you dont know for sure).
Anon- No worries, we go to a small private school and the butter knife is ok for them to bring. Other schools not so much, and would be a huge problem, so their Cordon Bleu should be cut prior to taking to school- but then the glass could be an issue too. Thanks!
In my next life, I want to come back as 1 of Robin Sue's children.
Dave- Yes but in this life you are a dear friend, I feed friends too!
Holy Cow, I'm in love! These look fabulous and one of my absolute favorite things to eat ever. I think when I start MJM, I will start with this.
No no! I totally love your Mason Jar Meals! As a graduate student, I've taken a lot of pleasure in reading all of these recipes and dreaming up ways I can actually incorporate these into my own busy schedule. It's a lot more fun to read your blog posts knowing it's feasible for me to do them, instead reading about beautiful, but uber-complicated, 10+ step recipes that require lots of prep on other blogs (maybe these are for after I graduate and find a job… =/).
I love Chicken Cordon Bleu. These are unbelievably cute! What a great idea!
Hah…I was wondering about the knife too.
In my next life, I want to be one of your children!
hey, don't stop with the jar things…i'm kind of obsessed with reading about them and trying to convince my hubby we need MORE JARS MORE JARS MORE JARS!
he's not there yet, but we're working on it
I never get sick of your mason jar dishes – this one is genius!
I have to tell you, I have so much more energy now that I've cut out grains and dairy and get my workouts done before work – loving it!
(I sneaked a peak on my scale – am down 1.4 pounds just since Monday!)
Question: Have you heard of TABATA?
I love things in jars – don't stop Robin Sue!! SO creative!!!
So any mason jar can be baked in an oven?? What about baby food jars??
Ridiculous? Bring it on! I am loving all of these great ideas and can't wait to implement them when I have the next ladies craft luncheon. This looks delicious.
Brilliant as always. I wonder if you wake up in the middle of the night with new ideas. You could start a whole new line of Lunchables!
thanks to your kids & thanks to you we are happy that you make this tasty recipe! Yum & a very original idea!!
Never stop with the jars!! Please! This stuff is amazing! As a graduate student who is always busy, never at home, and constantly forced to buy fast food meals, these jars are a life-saver!!!!
Jennifer- Thank you! I will keep adding ideas as they come to me!
I stumbled across your blog through Pinterest…your Mason jar meals are BRILLIANT! I've got these little beauties in the oven right now. I'm so excited to taste one
Keep on writing more; I LOVE them!
Mine are in the oven right now!!
Christine- Enjoy! Let me know how it goes.
Can these also be frozen prior to cooking, and thawed before putting in the oven?
I think they could be. Or baked and frozen, then defrosted and heated too. Either way.
Enjoy!
Robin Sue
Genius.
I have been wondering, do you think a crust on side and/or bottom of jar could stay crisp?
I’m thinking crumbs + butter (to hold shape) and press them against side of jar…
Andrew,
This does make its own juice/gravy so the crust anywhere but on top would get soggy. I hope you try the recipe and like it!
Enjoy!
Robin
Thanks for this recipe! Did you happen to try it in a larger size, using a pint jar instead of an 8oz jar? Any idea how that would affect cooking times?
Thanks for your reply!
I have not tried the larger jar. You may have to lower the temp and cook it longer. May be worth a try for a larger portion, or serve 2 smaller portions;-)
Just made these tonight. Wonderful. Everyone liked them. Made a couple of changes. I brushed a couple of teaspoons of Dijon mustard on the chicken before putting on the ham and cheese. I made a sauce of 1 cup whipping cream, 1/2 cup white wine, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard and a tablespoon of chopped fresh tarragon. I put a couple of tablespoons in the bottom of each jar. I have a few jars leftover that I will put in the freezer and save for lunch.
My hope with your recipes is finding things for lunch. I hate lunch and finding things like this helps make it better
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