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Pressure Cooker Hasselback Chicken Cordon Bleu

Instant Pot Hasselback Chicken Cordon Bleu served on a white plate

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This Hasselback Chicken Cordon Bleu looks complicated and fancy, but couldn’t be easier.  Topped with a Lemon Dijon Cream Sauce and a buttery mixture of panko and onions, this dish will impress for sure!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 avocado, sliced thin
  • 4 slices of prosciutto, cut in half (can substitute with deli ham)
  • 812 slices of Gruyere or Asiago cheese (may substitute with Swiss cheese, each slice needs to be about the size and shape of a domino)
  • salt and pepper

For the Lemon Dijon Cream Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour (I used white whole wheat)
  • 2 cups milk (preferably 2% but skim milk works okay)
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • small pinch of red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Onion Panko Crumble

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 cups French fried onions
  • 1 cup panko (I used whole wheat panko)
  • pinch of kosher salt

For the Burst Tomatoes

  • 2 cups grape tomatoes
  • salt
  • pepper
  • Italian seasoning

Instructions

  1. Cut slits into the chicken breasts, about 1/2 inch apart, being very careful not to cut all the way through the chicken.  You want the bottom of the chicken breast to stay intact so the top can fan open without it falling apart.  Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, fill the slits with 1/2 of an avocado.  Wrap each slice of prosciutto (or ham) around a slice or 2 of cheese; this will keep the cheese from melting out of the chicken.  Fill slits in the chicken with the prosciutto wrapped cheese. Repeat with second chicken breast.
  3. Place stuffed chicken on a sturdy trivet or a pan with holes in the bottom.  If you don’t have either, simply use what trivet you have, place a piece of tinfoil on top of it to make it more stable, and poke holes into it with a knife or fork so that the extra juices of the chicken can drain while cooking.
  4. For the Burst Tomatoes: place tomatoes in a pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
  5. Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker pot and place the trivet with chicken inside.  Top with a second trivet and place tomatoes on top.
  6. Note: you don’t want the pan of tomatoes sitting directly on top of the chicken so use a trivet with longer legs. If you don’t own a taller trivet for this step, just roast the tomatoes under the oven broiler for a few minutes while the chicken cooks.
  7. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position.  Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
  8. While the Chicken cooks, prepare the Lemon Dijon Cream Sauce.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk for 1 minute to cook out the flour taste.  Gradually add milk, whisking constantly to prevent and remove any lumps.  When smooth and thick, add parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste and stir until cheese melts and everything is well incorporated.  Keep sauce warm over low heat.
  9. Prepare the Onion Panko Crumble by melting butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add French Fried Onions, panko, and a pinch of salt and stir occasionally until it starts to brown, 2-3 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  This can be prepared up to 5 days in advance.
  10. When pressure cooking is complete, use a natural release (this will take about 10 minutes).
  11. Optional but AMAZING: Place chicken under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to crisp the prosciutto and brown the cheese.
  12. To serve, place chicken breast on a plate with scoop of tomatoes, a big drizzle of Lemon Dijon Cream Sauce, and a sprinkle of Onion Panko Crumble.

Make Ahead Instructions

  1. Stuff the chicken breast with prosciutto and cheese (fill with avocado just before cooking).  Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days in advance.
  2. Onion Panko Crumble can be made up to 5 days in advance.

Notes

  • You can double or even triple this recipe depending on the size of your chicken breasts and pressure cooker pot.  Omit the tomatoes (roast them in the oven instead) and instead stack more chicken breasts onto an upper trivet.  Do not stack them on top of each other, there needs to be space between the chicken for all of them to cook evenly without drying out.
  • If you want to skip the step of wrapping the cheese with the prosciutto, shred the cheese instead and once the chicken is cooked, sprinkle it with cheese and place it under the broiler to melt.