Chicken Cordon Bleu Skillet

Preheat a large oven-proof skillet to medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Preheat oven to 375ºF.

When skillet is hot, add chicken in one layer (or do this in 2 batches if needed) with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. After 2–3 minutes, flip chicken and cook for a few more minutes until brown. Remove chicken to a plate (it won’t be cooked through at this point, just browned). Reduce the heat on the skillet to medium.

To the skillet with any chicken drippings, add butter and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute until butter melts, then sprinkle flour over the butter. Stir flour into the butter and garlic to form a paste.

Let flour mixture cook for 1 minute more, then slowly pour in milk, stirring as you go to combine the milk with the flour mixture. Keep stirring until almost all of the lumps in the milk are gone.

Taste the milk sauce (it should thicken as it comes to a simmer), and add a few pinches of salt and pepper if you’d like. Stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Turn the heat off the skillet.

To the bottom of the skillet with the milk sauce, place half of the Swiss cheese in an even layer. Top the first layer of the cheese with all of the chicken and all of the ham, then top with the remaining slices cheese. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs over the entire skillet.

Bake for 15–20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and panko is browned. You can broil the dish for 30 seconds or so if needed to brown the top without overcooking the chicken. Remove the skillet from the oven and let rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. Serve with salad or anything else you’d like. Enjoy!

Notes:
1. A 10-12 inch skillet is ideal for this recipe. If you don’t have one, you can make the layers of this dish on the stovetop, then transfer everything to a baking dish and add the cheese slices. Top with the panko and bake!
2. Amounts in this recipe are adjustable—add more of any of the flavor components you like the best!