Chicken Cordon Bleu (Sous Vide

• Meat

  • 4 Chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
  • 4 slices Ham, good-quality

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg, large free-range

• Condiments

  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 Plain flour
  • 1 Salt and pepper

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 Vegetable oil

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 1 Bread crumbs

• Dairy

  • 4 pieces Emmental cheese

Found on lavenderandlovage.com

Description

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)
• Dijon mustard (about 2 teaspoons)
• 4 slices good quality ham (I used smoked ham)
• 4 pieces of Emmental cheese (about 15g to 20g per piece. Cheddar or another hard cheese can be used)
• plain flour
• 1 large free-range egg (beaten with a teaspoon of milk, or 2 small free-range eggs)
• bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• vegetable oil
• 4 chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)
• zest and juice of one lemon (and lemon then cut into quarters)
• large sprig of fresh lemon thyme
• 2 garlic cloves (peeled and minced finely)
• salt and pepper
• a little olive oil
• low-fat cooking spray
• 200g chicken breast fillets, skinless and cut into small pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves, finely chopped and woody stem discarded
• juice and zest of 1 small lemon
• 1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 100ml vegetable stock (I used Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Powder)
• 2 tablespoons low-fat plain Bio-yoghurt
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

• Fill the SousVide Supreme with hot water and then pre-heat to 146F/63.5C
• Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and carefully cut through the breasts horizontally, to make them larger and flatter, so they opens up like a book. Place each breast between cling-film and then beat them with a rolling pin to make them thinner and flatter.
• Spread the Dijon mustard over each flattened breast, before adding a slice of ham and then sit the piece of cheese in the middle of each ham covered breast.
• Roll up the chicken breast, being careful to enclose all of the filling, use tooth picks to keep the chicken roll closed if necessary, or roll in cling-film and allow to cool in the fridge.
• When you are ready to cook the chicken, place two chicken breasts in one large food pouch, or place them all in an extra large pouch and vacuum/seal them.
• Place the sealed pouches in the SousVide Supreme machine, using the rack to sit the pouches in, and cook for 2 hours.
• Remove the chicken from the machine, allow to cool slightly and then carefully open the pouches.
• Place the flour (seasoned with salt and pepper), beaten egg and breadcrumbs in three large separate bowls, and then start to coat the chicken breasts - cover them in flour first, then in the egg and then finally in the breadcrumbs.
• Cover and put the coated chicken breasts in the fridge until you need to cook them, or, cook them straight away. Heat up some vegetable oil in a large roomy frying pan.
• Fry each chicken breast in the hot oil, turning them over to make sure they are light golden brown and crisp on all sides, the chicken is already cooked, so this is just to cook the outside coating. You can oven-bake them for 15 to 20 minutes if you like, in a pre-heated oven 200C/400F/Gas mark 6.
• Drain the chicken on some paper towels, and then serve immediately with chips and peas for a real retro revival! Or, with salad for a lighter, healthier meal.
• Fill the SousVide Supreme with hot water and then pre-heat to 146F/63.5C
• Cut the chicken breast into large chunks and add them to one large pouch, along with the lemon zest, juice, lemon quarters, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon thyme and a little olive oil.
• Vacuum and seal the pouch, and place the sealed pouch in the SousVide Supreme machine, using the rack to sit the pouches in, and cook for 1 hour.
• Remove the chicken from the machine, allow to cool slightly and then carefully open the pouches.
• Thread the chicken pieces on soaked bamboo skewers, adding a lemon wedge at the top of each skewer. Season to taste once again and the cook over hot coals or on a gas barbecue for about 5 minutes, turning all the time, or until the chicken is golden brown and seared. (You can also cook the kebabs in large griddle pan or under the grill)
• Serve with salad and wraps, or with assorted dips, chips or baked potatoes.
• This recipe is suitable for those following the 5:2 diet for fast days, and one serving is 125 calories without any accompaniments.
• Heat a large frying pan that has a lid, or a wok and then spray with low-fat cooking spray. Season the chicken breast pieces and then fry for 5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
• Add the garlic and cumin seeds and stir around the pan until the spices smell fragrant, then add the rosemary, lemon juice and zest, beans, tomatoes, stock and seasoning and stir to combine them all.
• Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a minute or two before adding the yoghurt, stir well and serve in warmed bowls.
• Serve with crusty bread on a non-fast or diet day.