The first dish with the name of cordon bleu was originally made in Switzerland in the 1940s. This recipe featured cheeses and meats stuffed into a slice of meat. In a way, it was invented by a fortunate accident, when the cook at a Swiss restaurant had a large party come unexpectedly into her dining room.
To stretch the limited food that she had on hand, she came up with the idea of stuffing cheese and ham into schnitzel, a kind of pork cutlet. This allowed her to increase the number of meat servings she could offer the restaurant guests. The dish was a huge hit, and cordon bleu was created.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Small saucepan
- Ladle
- Sharp knife
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 3 pcs Small Red Potatoes scrubbed and diced with the skins on
- 1/4 cup Chopped Parsley or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
- 1/4 cup Flour
- 3 cups Chicken Broth or 3 teaspoons chicken soup base dissolved in 3 cups water
- 2 cups Half and Half or whole milk
- 4 ounces Softened Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Swiss Cheese shredded or cut into small cubes
- 6 pcs Chicken Tenders
- 1 cup Diced Ham
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Instructions
- Place the chicken tenders and the red potatoes in a large pot and cover them with the chicken broth. If there isn’t enough liquid to cover the chicken and potatoes, add just enough water to cover.
- Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. When the water is fully boiling, cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Don’t cook them too long, or they will start to get too mushy and dissolve in the finished soup.
- After the time is up, remove the chicken from the broth and shred it, returning it to the pot.
- Turn the heat under the pot of broth and potatoes to a low level. You do not want the pot to be at a simmer; you just want the soup to stay hot.
- In a smaller saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat until it sizzles and bubbles.
- Add the garlic and cook it until it is lightly browned about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour, whisking it in to combine with the butter and garlic. Cook this for about 60 seconds. The mixture should be thick and bubbly.
- Take the smaller saucepan and scrape the flour and butter mixture into the pot of chicken broth, whisking to combine.
- Next, add the half and a half and the cream cheese, stirring until the whole mixture is combined. You may want to cut the cream cheese into small cubes to make it easier to melt into the soup.
- Add the onion powder, salt, and pepper along with the Swiss cheese and chopped parsley.
- Stir in the ham. Warm the soup until it is heated through and serve topped with croutons if desired. Alternately you can serve it with crusty bread.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container after the soup is completely cooled. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat. Use up the leftovers within three to five days.
Notes
April Freeman enjoys creating all kinds of recipes for her friends and family from her country kitchen in Middle Tennessee. She and her family raise beef cattle, chickens, and all sorts of fruits and veggies on their farm, and she specializes in featuring farm-fresh foods in the recipes that she creates and serves. April says that her slogan is “Are you hungry?” and she feels that one way of showing love and connecting with others is to serve delicious favorite foods to others. Her favorite thing to cook is pies of all kinds.
