Take a sauce pan and add 2 cups of water, 2 tbsp kosher salt and 2 tbsp sugar. Heat this on medium high heat and whisk everything together until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Set this aside in the fridge and allow to cool for about 20 minutes.

After the brine has cooled add 2 chicken breasts. Try to get chicken breasts that weight about 8-10 ounces each. Let them sit in the brine mixture for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes remove them from the brine, rinse with cold water, and pat them dry with paper towels.

In a small bowl add a 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, 1 tbsp. garlic powder and 1 tbsp. onion powder. Mix these together until well combined and set it aside.

Butterfly our boneless skinless chicken breasts. Take a large knife and place your hand flat against the chicken. Make sure your fingers are well out of the way. Start at the thick portion and cut towards the back. Stopping about a 1/2 inch from the back of the piece of meat. Now you can peal it back. Once it’s open you can cut a little more to make it approximately the same thickness throughout.

Next place the butterflied chicken breast in between large, folded in half, piece of parchment paper. Take a mallet and pound the piece of chicken until it is a 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining butterflied chicken breast.

Assembling the Cordon Bleu:

Take your seasoning mixture and sprinkle it evenly over the two chicken breasts. Brush each breast with a thin layer of smooth Dijon mustard, about 1 1/2 teaspoons each. Place a layer of black forest ham then Swiss cheese. Leave about an inch of space from the top so that the chicken breast can fully encase the ham and cheese when rolled. Repeat again with another layer of black forest ham and Swiss cheese.

Using your fingers tuck in the edges of the chicken breast. Pull back on the edge to make it tight. Set this aside on a plate seam side down. Repeat with the other chicken breast.

Take a long sheet of plastic wrap. It’s important to have a long piece because of the tension we’re going to apply during this roll process. Lay the chicken breast flat seam side down close to the edge of the plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over and tuck it back with your fingers making sure to keep the seam together. Roll it up evenly in the plastic wrap and synch down the sides. Use your fingers to flatten it out.

To synch up the cordon bleu twist one hand one way and the other hand the other way while holding onto the plastic wrap. You’ll notice the plastic wrap will become tighter and that the cordon bleu will synch in on itself.

To form, grab the ends of the plastic wrap and apply pressure using your thumbs both downward while pulling out. This will allow you to do a couple of quick motions of rolling the cordon bleu forward. Tie off one end. Make sure to synch down the other end to make sure you have enough tension and tie it up.

Chill these in the fridge to set for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Breading the Cordon Bleu:

Take three separate dishes. In one dish combine a 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 tsp. of paprika. In a second dish whisk 2 eggs and 2 tbsp. water. In the third dish combine 1 cup of Panko, 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 tsp. of salt, and 1/2 tsp. of black pepper.

Remove the chickens from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap carefully. Dredge all sides in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Dip into the egg mixture. Finally cover all over with the breadcrumb mixture, patting with your fingers to adhere. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Cooking the Cordon Bleu:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet heat 1/4 cup of cooking oil, we’re using coconut oil, over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Place the chicken into the pan and cook all sides until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to drain and bake.

Bake in a 350-degree F oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees or higher.

Serve with whatever sides you prefer. Enjoy!