Crispy Baked Basil Chicken Cordon Bleu.

With double the cheese…

Because cheese is protein, and protein is healthy…and perfect for a Monday night, right…right!

Speaking of which, happy Monday! I feel like we have a few things to chat about today. One is obviously this cheesy, basil loaded, baked chicken that I am declaring the perfect Monday dinner. It’s kind of a mix between indulgent and healthy…ish. Making it just the right type of meal to ease into the week…because let’s be real, you know boring Monday salads are not a thing here on Half Baked Harvest.

Before I talk your ears off about this chicken though, I want to talk fun things! Not that this chicken isn’t fun, but you know what I mean!

So as you guys may or may not know, I’ve finally gotten into Facebook Live, and while I am not the most perfect person to be on camera, especially LIVE, I’m still having a lot of fun with it! I love inviting you guys into my kitchen to do a little cooking together, a little chatting, and answering your awesome questions! What I want to know though is, what would YOU guys like to see me make? I had the hardest time picking out a recipe for last week, so this week I need your help! What’s your favorite HBH recipe? I’m going to choose this week’s recipe based on the comments you leave. So take a look around the site and leave your recipe choice below! Unfortunately I need to switch my FB Live for this week from Friday to Thursday, as I will be out of the office…aka my kitchen, this l Friday. Meaning you guys have until Wednesday night to let me know what you want to see. Cool?

Yeah! I am excited!

Alright, second thing, and real quick so we can chat cheesy chicken things, how was everyone’s weekend? It’s Monday, so you know I gotta ask…yes, I am a curious soul. Plus my weekend was on the mellow side, so I need to live a little vicariously through you all.

Even though the weekend was mellow, it was also great! I spent some time working on a few more final details of that cookbook that’s coming out this fall. On Saturday, I came home to find that someone had snuck into my house and hung a giant bobble size cardboard cutout of my brother Red’s head on my wall…totally, totally serious. I will show you guys today on Insta stories, it’s too funny. I also spent some time on Sunday doing a little meal prepping…okok and reading up on how there may be more Gilmore Girls episodes coming to Netflix. <–the Gilmore Girls thing was probably the highlight of the weekend. Embarrassing to admit, but I freaking love Gilmore Girls.

But now, let’s talk about this healthier baked chicken cordon blue. Instead of frying the cordon bleu, I baked it and swapped in slightly leaner prosciutto for deli ham (which if I am being honest, tends to freak me out a bit if ). And ahhh, I also added a few green things, i.e basil and a garnish of sprouts!

As I mentioned earlier, it’s my favorite thing, making meals healthy…ish. I still used a ham and cheese because this is chicken cordon bleu, and those are pretty much requirements.

I don’t think I’ve actually ever had chicken cordon bleu previous to making this recipe, but now that I’ve gotten a taste for it, I am hooked. It kind of reminds me of chicken parmesan, but with prosciutto and a little more cheese. Yeah, nothing not to love about that!

Bonus points for this also being super quick, easy and a one pan kind of dinner! Loving it!

The combo of prosciutto, basil, and cheese is so good. It may not be a traditional chicken cordon bleu, but then when do I ever stick to traditional? The idea is still the same though, chicken rolled up with ham and cheese…and guys, it’s delicious! I’ve never had the fried version, but I don’t think this baked version is missing a thing. So much cheesy goodness going on!

You could serve this up with a simple salad and side of rice or pasta. But, if you’re trying to be super good and go light on the carbs, zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice would be awesome options! And now you have the perfect Monday dinner, complete with protein, veggies and cheese!

What? the basil and microgreens count as veggies. 🙂