Cheese Stuffed Chicken Cutlets with Mustard Sauce
For her lovely riff on classic chicken cordon bleu, Marcia Kiesel replaces the heavy ham-and-Swiss-cheese filling with creamy havarti and thyme. Instead of weighing down the cutlets with thick breading, she sautés them in a light flour-and-egg coating.
Ingredients:
- 4 (6-ounce) chicken cutlets, about 1/2 inch thick
- 4 thin slices of plain havarti cheese
- 4 teaspoons chopped thyme
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- all-purpose flour, for dredging
- extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
Direction
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Using a small knife, cut a 4-by-3-inch pocket in the side of each chicken cutlet. Insert a havarti slice and spread 1 teaspoon of thyme in each pocket; press gently to close.
- In a small saucepan, boil the chicken stock and cream over moderately high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the mustard and boil for 30 seconds, whisking a few times. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
- In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs. Beat in the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Put the flour in another shallow bowl.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Dredge 2 cutlets in flour, shaking off the excess, then coat with the beaten egg. Fry over moderately high heat until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Coat and fry the remaining cutlets.
- Bake the chicken for about 12 minutes, until just cooked through. Reheat the mustard sauce and pour onto plates. Set the cutlets on the sauce and serve.