Escalope cordon bleu

Pound the chicken evenly. Butterfly each breast without cutting through, cover and pound to an even 6 mm thickness, keeping the four pieces separate. Use Cutting board, film and smooth meat mallet. Allow 10 minutes. Each chicken piece is an even sheet about 6 mm thick with no holes through the centre. Even thickness lets the stuffed parcel heat predictably without overcooking its edges. Use a board reserved for raw poultry, wash hands after handling, and sanitize the mallet covering and work area.

Enclose the ham and cheese. Season the chicken with all 4 g salt and pepper, place one 30 g ham slice and one 30 g cheese slice on each piece leaving a clean border, fold tightly and secure each parcel with two wooden picks. Use Raw-poultry board and eight wooden picks. Allow 8 minutes. The filling is fully enclosed, the edges meet firmly and no cheese protrudes from the seam. A clean border and secure closure reduce cheese leakage in the pan and oven. Keep raw-poultry utensils separate from the later cooked-food plate.

Bread in three layers. Coat each parcel first in flour, then beaten pasteurized egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs on evenly. Use Three shallow dishes. Allow 7 minutes. Every parcel has a complete dry crumb coating with no bare wet patches. The flour helps egg adhere and the crumbs create the crisp outer layer. Treat the egg dishes and raw chicken as contaminated until washed; discard leftover coating mixtures.

Rest the breading cold. Place the breaded parcels on a clean tray and refrigerate before cooking. Use Clean tray and refrigerator. Work under cold conditions. Allow 15 minutes resting. Target 4 °C. The coating feels set and dry rather than loose when a parcel is lifted from the tray. A brief chill helps the breading adhere during turning. Keep breaded raw chicken at 4 °C or below during the rest.

Brown the coating. Heat the oil in a wide oven-safe skillet and brown the parcels for 2 minutes per side, turning with clean tongs after the first side has cooked. Use Wide oven-safe skillet and tongs. Work at medium-high heat. Allow 4 minutes. The crumb coating is evenly golden on both broad sides without dark burnt patches. Pan browning builds a crisp crust before the gentler oven finish. Do not reuse tongs that touched raw chicken without washing them before handling cooked parcels.

Finish to 74 °C in the oven. Transfer the skillet to a preheated oven and bake until a probe inserted from the side into the coldest thick centre passes through chicken and stuffing without touching the pan and reaches 74 °C. Use 180 °C oven and food thermometer. Work at 180 °C oven. Allow 14 minutes. Target 74 °C. The coldest thick centre through chicken and stuffing reaches 74 °C, the coating remains crisp and the cheese stays mostly enclosed. The oven brings the stuffed centre safely to temperature without burning the breadcrumb crust. Colour alone is not a safety test; verify 74 °C with a clean food thermometer.

Rest and remove every pick. Move the cooked cordons bleus to a clean plate, rest briefly, then remove all eight wooden picks before serving. Use Clean plate. Work under room temperature conditions. Allow 3 minutes resting. The cheese has settled enough not to flood out when cut, and all eight wooden picks have been removed. A short rest makes the filling easier to contain on the plate. Count the picks before and after cooking so none remains in a serving.