Chicken Cordon Bleu burger is a real winner
This simple blue ribbon-worthy burger captures all the tastes of the traditional dish
What does a blue ribbon have to do with chicken, or chefs for that matter? The term cordon bleu originally was an actual skyblue ribbon worn by the Knights-grand-cross of the French order of the Holy Ghost, the highest order of chivalry under the Bourbon kings dating back to the late 14th century. Over time, the cordon bleu extended to other first-class distinctions, including chefs. By extension, the term has since been applied to food prepared to a very high standard and by outstanding cooks.
Chicken Cordon Bleu is a piece of chicken breast which has been pounded flat like a schnitzel and then is stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese. The stuffed chicken breast is then breaded and fried and served with a creamy sauce.
I remember eating this dish as a child for Sunday supper on rare occasions and I thought it was so fancy. I can remember hearing my mom pounding out the chicken breast from my bedroom and I wondered what was all the commotion about? I even went down to the kitchen to ask my mom about the noise, and she just said, “Don’t worry about it. You’re going to love what I’m making.”
I still think there is something very special about stuffed chicken breasts of any description and I think it links back to the nostalgic recollections of those special family dinners.
When it comes to the origins of the Chicken Cordon Bleu, for years I naturally assumed the classic, Chicken Cordon Bleu was a French invention, but it actually finds its inceptions in Switzerland as a schnitzel filled with cheese around the 1940s.
I also thought the dish had something to do with the iconic cooking school in Paris of the same name, but no, there is zero affiliation with the Chicken Cordon Bleu and the Cordon Bleu cooking school. To prepare the dish in the traditional way is easy enough, but it is timeconsuming.
I wanted a way to enjoy the flavour profiles and the textural experience of the dish in the 30-minute meal category. I opted to make a burger using ground chicken, breadcrumbs, eggs and a scant amount of seasoning, onion salt, garlic powder and black pepper.
The chicken mixture enrobes little parcels of smoked ham and Gruyere cheese. The patties cook up in 12 minutes which is enough time to slice up some tomato, onion and lettuce to build the burgers.
I use a combination of mayonnaise and whole grain Dijon mustard in equal proportions as the sauce, which hints to the creamy white wine sauce that is served with the original version.