Cold Chicken Bleu

This is an easy to serve dish that can be made well ahead of time, so its' especially nice when you're not exactly sure what time you'll be serving dinner. I made this last week, and am so glad I did. I had dinner guests that I expected at 6:30. I thought dinner might be anytime between 7 and 7:30. Traffic being what it is, our guests didn't arrive at our house until 8:30pm! We didn't eat until after 9pm! But, cold chicken bleu to the rescue!!! This is a healthy take on the ever-popular chicken cordon bleu. It's still full of taste, but the taste comes from the cooking liquid, not the usual calorie and fat-laden sauce. I think you'll like this, not only for it's taste, but for it's versatility whenever you need a relaxed time meal.





Ingredients:


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp minced shallot
4 slices proscuitto or thinly sliced ham
4 tsp low fat cream cheese
1/8 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbs lemon juice


Directions:

Flatten chicken breasts, skin side down. If they are very thick, pound them with a mallet to an even thickness. Sprinkle each breast with some of the shallot, then layer each one with a slice of proscuitto and cream cheese. Top the cream cheese with lemon zest, oregano, and pepper. Roll each chicken breast and secure with toothpicks. Heat the olive oil in a saute or fry pan. Add the chicken breasts and brown on each side. Add the chicken broth, white wine, and lemon juice. Cover and cook until the center of the chicken breasts reach 165 degrees. Cool chicken breasts in the refrigerator. After they have cooled, slice and arrange decoratively on a serving platter.


Note: To get the most from your fresh lemon, follow these simple directions. Wash the lemon to remove any dirt. Zest first, by grating just the yellow skin. You can use the smallest setting on a cheese grater if you don't have a zester. Next, roll the lemon on a hard surface to help release the juices. Finally, Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the needed juices.


Serves 6

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This take on chicken cordon bleu is great served hot, and it's also excellent cold. But, here's a tip if you decide to serve it cold ... Refrigerate!!! Chicken needs to be kept either hot or cold, not on the counter at room temperature. Some of those bad guys, the ones called bacteria, can get in chicken so fast when it's left at room temperature. To make sure your chicken is healthy, make sure you put your chicken in the frig until you're ready to serve.