CHICKEN CORDON BLEU PANINI'S

Are you tired of the same old thing for dinner?  Do you wish you could put a twist on some of your old favorites?  Well, I have the perfect "twist" for you.  Chicken Cordon Bleu Panini's!!  Oh yeah!  I saw this idea over at Panini Happy and it sounded good, but I had no idea how good it really was until I took that first bite.  There was so much flavor packed into that one little sandwich.  Juicy chicken, black forest ham, swiss cheese and homemade honey mustard. I've never been a honey mustard fan, but I loved this homemade version.  This was the perfect combination of flavors and is one of my new favorite sandwiches.  More . . . please.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Panini

(Printable Recipe)

Chicken

1 Tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbl. Butter

1/2 c. flour

1 egg, beaten

1 c. panko bread crumbs

4 thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 2 chicken             breasts, cut in half horizontally

salt and pepper

Mrs. Dash® (yellow lid)

Honey Mustard

adapted from: All Recipes

1/4 c. Mayo

1 Tbl. prepared mustard

1 Tbl. honey

1/2 Tbl. lemon juice

To Prepare:

1 loaf French Bread

deli Black Forest ham

sliced Swiss cheese

For the chicken: Heat olive oil and butter in skillet over medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt, pepper and a little Mrs. Dash.  Dip each chicken cutlet into beaten egg, then flour, then coat with the panko bread crumbs.  Place in heated skillet and cook until bread crumbs are browned and crispy, flip over and cook the other side until cooked all the way through.  Remove to plate.  For the sauce: combine all ingredients until smooth.  To prepare: slice French Bread in half horizontally and spread top half with honey mustard.  On bottom half, layer chicken, sliced ham and cheese.  Top with other half of bread.  Cut into four servings and grill each until crispy and cheese is melted.  (I grill mine on the George Foreman).  Yield: 4 servings.  

*Note: When I cut my French Bread in half, I scooped out some of the bread on each half, so my sandwich wouldn't end up so thick.