Buffalo-Style Chicken Cordon "Blue"

I'm sure there are people out there who don't like buffalo wings, but I don't know any of them. I definitely know people who do not like hot wings, though.  I'm a wuss when it comes to spicy dishes, and I absolutely loved this one.

I was watching Rachael Ray on Wednesday while hanging out with my dad and she made this dish.  It looked really simple and very delicious.  It was! I don't really know what to say, besides, this:  If you love wings and blue cheese, you'll love this.  It's kind of a buffalo version of chicken cordon bleu, but it's blue cheese instead of Swiss cheese.

See Update at the end of the Post.

Buffalo-Style Chicken Cordon "Blue"

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

4 slices deli ham

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

Salt and pepper

1 cup flour

1/4 to 1/3 cup corn starch, eyeball it

2 large egg whites, beaten

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

3 tablespoons melted butter

About 3 tablespoons hot sauce

Canola or other high temp oil, for shallow frying

Carrot and celery sticks, for garnish (optional)

 

Split the breasts open and cut them across horizontally. Pound the meat out a little then stuff with ham and cheese. Fold over and press edges to secure stuffed breasts. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and coat in flour mixed with cornstarch, then egg white, then breadcrumbs tossed with melted butter mixed with hot sauce.

Heat a shallow layer about 1/4-inch deep in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When oil is hot, cook chicken on each side until golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Drain chicken briefly on paper towels and serve with carrot and celery sticks along side.

I made one mistake while preparing this and it was using vegetable oil instead of canola oil. I didn't really think it would make much of a difference, but it blackened the bread crumb coating.  It was still VERY delicious, but just giving you a heads up in case you decide to try it. I when I was coating the chicken, I had a taste of the buffalo sauce infused bread crumbs and thought it was going to be too spicy for me, but after cooking, I felt there was very little spice to it.  You can always add more hot sauce to it at that point if you feel you need more spice. The mashed potatoes paired really well with this dish.  I hope you enjoy!!



Update: August 2014
I no longer cook the chicken solely by frying. I now only brown the breading in the pan and then transfer the chicken to a pan with a silicone baking mat. I finish baking the chicken at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. This allows the crunchiness without burning the breading.