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" This is the first \u2014 and most \u2014 &amp;quot;gourmet&amp;quot; recipe my mother taught me. Back in the era of hatha yoga and macram\u00E9 owls, long before the current First Lady of New York State branded the idea of semi-homemade food, the Allen household lined up enthusiastically behind the use of Campbell&amp;#039;s Cream of Mushroom Soup as a sauce. Mom&amp;#039;s cooking was, and is, delicious, but ours was not a household of croquembouche or food served in hollowed-out pumpkins. Think pork chops thrown in the Crock-Pot while we were at school, served with a side of Cronkite. Is it tasty, this American approximation of the noble Chicken Cordon Bleu? Absolutely, to the extent I can remember the nuances of anything I cooked or did in the seventies. (That&amp;#039;s me and my sister, &amp;quot;helping&amp;quot; in the kitchen.) The texture is gloppy, the sodium content appalling, and the grayish hue isn&amp;#039;t going to win points for presentation. But look: It&amp;#039;s chicken breast stuffed with ham and gooey cheese, forever moist under its thick blanket of chickeny paste. You can prep it a day ahead and throw it in the oven while your guests nibble Swedish meatballs and spinach dip, easy-peasy, George and Weezy. Do people still say that? Chicken Cordon Bleu (Ted Allen&amp;#039;s version, anyway) 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (a bit over a pound) \u2022 4 slices smoked ham \u2022 4 slices Swiss cheese (or, if you want to get fancy, Gruy\u00E8re) \u2022 1 10\u00BE-oz can Campbell&amp;#039;s Cream of Mushroom Soup \u2022 1 tbsp olive oil Preheat oven to 350 degrees. \u2022 Using a mallet and wax paper, pound the chicken thin and flat. In the center of each breast half, place a piece of ham, then a slice of cheese. Then, as if rolling a burrito, fold the left and right sides of the chicken over the cheese, then roll, keeping the ham and cheese fully enclosed. Seal with toothpicks. \u2022 In a saut\u00E9 pan over medium, heat the olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides, 2 or 3 minutes per side. Transfer rolls to a small buttered baking dish that will hold them snugly, pour soup over, cover, place in the oven, and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/food/a12947/chicken-cordon-bleu-recipe-0312/>