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Sometime in my childhood, my mother of Irish extraction. in her never ending attempts to put something new on The Food Table served one of my favorite dishes: what she called “Chicken Cordon Blue.” In my mother’s version, the dish was a boneless and flattened chicken breast upon which she laid out slices of very thin ham and Swiss cheese. The breasts were then rolled and fixed in place with toothpicks. She then finished the rolled up breasts in the tradition flour, egg wash and breadcrumb coating. The breasts then went into our Wearever electric fryer.
This dish has stayed with me and I made it repeatedly for my own children. When I began doing research on traditional Italian American recipes Chicken Cordon Blue one was rather problematic. “Chicken Cordon Blue” is clearly not an Italian dish, yet, your will often find it on the menus of many red sauce Italian restaurants, often finished with, what else, red sauce. In these old-time restaurants you may often find that this dish is called “Chicken Rollatini.” A quick click will offer dozens of images.
https://www.google.com/search?q=italian+restaurant+menu&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=R4WGU4rnPKvJsQSmwYKgCg&ved=0CN8BELAE&biw=1680&bih=949#q=pollo+rollatini&tbm=isch But here’s the problem: There is not such word as “rollatini” in Italian. If you google an Italian dictionary and enter the term “rollatini” you will find “La ricerca di rollatini non ha prodotto risultati.”(The search for rollatini has produced no results.) “Rollatini” is an Italianized English word invented in that wonderful amalgam of two cultures and two languages that we call the “Italian American Cuisine.” 
La ricerca di rollatini non ha prodotto risultati.
In Italian this dish is called “involtini di pollo,” but the dish is apparently not native to Italy. According to Wikipedia, the recipe originated in Austria, and considering the fried breadcrumb coating of the chicken, Austria seems most probable as it birthplace. As to the name “cordon bleu” Wikipedia tells us that “cordon bleu” first appeared in the New York Times in 1967, a date that would correspond to my memory of the dish on our table. When I checked through such cook books as I have, Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, and Robuchon are silent on the recipe.
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Fresh chicken (pastured if you can find it) with ham and cheese is a simple and perfect combination of taste and texture. But, Chicken with ham and cheese is so popular that has also suffered the contortions of the fast food industry. The sorry state of this recipe finds it adulterated by catering services that offer some Frankenstein frozen version that must be resuscitated for a mass audience. I can’t count the number of times I have been subjected to this version at a wedding reception or some other collective dinner. Not only are they tasteless and rubbery but they all look identical as though cast from a mold. Lest I be accused of defamation I will not publish images of the pseudo-versions of this recipe as created by the food industry. Just look in the freezer section of your grocery store.You may find something like this. (Is that a tongue of cheese mocking me, or a chicken breast disgorging a mistake?)
But all is not lost. In my research I found several wonderful Italian versions of this recipe where instead of breadcrumbs the chicken is wrapped in prosciutto. Here is the curious part. This recipe is indeed called “rollatini.”
In Cucina con Patty
In the recipe here I used Genoa salami instead of ham and provolone instead of gruyere. Since I was adding a good dash of Sherry to create a sauce I did not use bread crumbs. The Sherry would have washed them away.Chicken involtini is also a great platform for a little experimenting. For the filling try finely slice eggplant or blanched greens such as spinach or Swiss chard. In fact try anything from crushed almonds to olives. This is also a great recipe to get the kids involved. They’ll have a great time laying out the layers of the filling.
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Getting Started
What you need
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Getting Started
What you need
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Equipment
Sharp knife Large fry skillet: iron or heavy stainless Tongs Meat pounder (or side of your knife) Plastic wrap Kitchen twine or toothpicks Three bowls for breading Draining rack Paper towels |
Chicken breasts
Cheese slices: Provolone or Gruyere Ham slices or other meats such as salami Olive oil for frying For the coating flour milk egg breadcrumbs (optional) salt and pepper thyme (optional) Sweet Sherry (optional) |
Butterfly
Butterfly the breasts slicing them open/ |
Pound
Cover the breasts with plastic wrap and pound the breasts thin. You can also use the side of your knife. |
Ham and Cheese
Lay out the meat and cheese of you choice. As an alternative try any number of things from thinly sliced eggplant to greens. |
Roll and Tie
Roll up the breasts and tie them with twine or fasten them with toothpicks. |
Fry
Heat the oil on medium high. Set the involtini in the pan keep the heat medium to low. Let each side brown before turning. |
Sherry glaze
(optional) Finish with 1/2 cup of Sherry and let it simmer with the thyme. OR Finish with 1/2 stick of butter and the thyme. |
Serve with potatoes and green beans