Dutch Oven Cordon Bleu Cutlets
Chicken, ham, and swiss stacked in a dutch oven over coals. Fry, then bake, one pot.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 58
- protein
- 45 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 45 min
- total time
- 60 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Boneless skinless chicken breasts | 3 | halved horizontally into 6 cutlets |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 2 tbsp | |
| Dry bread crumbs | 1 cup | |
| Ham | 1/2 lb | deli slices are fine |
| Swiss cheese | 1/2 lb | sliced, not shredded |
Method
- Set a 12-inch dutch oven over a small bed of coals and melt the butter in the bottom.
- Stir the bread crumbs into the butter until they are evenly damp, then scoop them out into a cup and set aside.
- Split each chicken breast horizontally so you have six thin cutlets. Lay them flat in the oven in a single layer.
- Bank enough coals under the oven to hold about 375F and fry the cutlets 5 minutes.
- Flip each cutlet. Lay a slice of ham on top, then a slice of swiss, then a spoonful of the buttered crumbs.
- Put the lid on, move most of the coals from the bottom to the lid, and hold about 350F for 35 minutes, until the chicken runs clear at the thickest point.
This is the classic rolled-and-toothpicked cordon bleu taken apart and stacked flat, which is the only version that works in a dutch oven. Nothing gets pounded, rolled, or breaded in a separate dish. The cutlets sear on the bottom, the ham and cheese go on after the flip, and the crumbs land last so they toast instead of steaming.
Toasting the crumbs in butter first is the step that matters. Dry crumbs sprinkled over melting cheese just turn to paste. Buttered ones hold their texture through a 35-minute bake. Moving the coals to the lid for that bake keeps the bottom of the chicken from burning while the cheese and crumbs get heat from above. This one needs a cooler, so it belongs at the trailhead or a basecamp, not in a pack.
Packing
Chicken, ham, and cheese ride in the cooler, chicken on the bottom and in a leakproof bag. Crumbs go in a jar with the butter taped to it. A 10-inch oven takes about two-thirds of everything at the same heat and time.
Variations
- Swap the swiss for provolone if that is what the store had. It melts the same.
- A spoonful of mustard on the cutlet before the ham cuts the richness.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/faux_chicken_cordon_bleu-2381.asp