Chicken Cordon Bleu Pockets (Freezer Meal!)

We celebrated a birthday of one of the kids I babysit this week and it got me thinking. Every year on our birthday my mom would let us choose whatever we wanted to eat for every meal. It was awesome and something I really looked forward too. I always chose German Pancakes for breakfast but I couldn't remember if I always chose the same thing for dinner every year. I remember choosing chicken cordon bleu a couple of times. I always loved that as a kid but because it's a little labor intensive we rarely had it. We were a very busy family. But my mom would always make time for our birthday dinners.

As I was getting ready to make pizza for lunch (the birthday boy's choice for lunch) I decided just to make a double batch of pizza dough and use some for dinner. I didn't know yet what I was going to make with it, but if all else failed I could just do breadsticks. I started thinking of my favorite birthday dinner and thought "I should definitely make chicken cordon bleu tonight!" But of course, as always, time got away from me. Around five o'clock I decided to go the easy route, Chicken Cordon Bleu Pockets! Kind of like hot pockets, but homemade and oh-so-much-better!

I love doing pocket/sandwich type things for lunch because I can freeze them and pop them in the microwave whenever I need them. These ones turned out fantastic and I pulled together a  great dipping sauce to act like the sauce that usually goes over chicken cordon bleu.

 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pockets

1 recipe Pizza dough (recipe below)

1 chicken breast, cooked and diced

Diced ham

Shredded swiss or mozzarella cheese

Olive Oil

Garlic Herb Seasoning (recipe below)  

Sauce for dipping (recipe below) 

Roll dough out about 18x12 inches. Cut into 8 squares with a pizza cutter. Top each square with cheese, chicken and ham. Fold over edges and pinch shut. Place seam side down on greased baking sheet. Rub each pocket with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic herb seasoning. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes. 

To freeze: Let cool all the way. Place in a freezer Ziploc bag. Try to get as much air out as possible. Freeze in a single layer. When ready to eat, wrap in a paper towel. For best results microwave for 4 minutes on 60% power, but if your microwave doesn't let you adjust the power level, just microwave for 2-3 minutes.

Sauce for Chicken Cordon Bleu

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk

2 tsp chicken bouillon granules

   1 Tbsp hot water

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine chicken bouillon, hot water, dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add flour and stir until smooth and bubbly. Add milk while whisking. Add mustard mixture and heat until thickened. 

Garlic Herb Seasoning

 (From Our Best Bites)

1/2 cup powdered Parmesan cheese

2 tsp Kosher salt

2 Tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

2 tsp marjoram

2 tsp parsley

 

Add all together in a jar and shake!

 

Pizza Dough

Heaping Tablespoon yeast

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1 cup steaming water

2 3/4 to 3 cups flour

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

 

Dissolve yeast, salt and sugar in mixing bowl. Let proof for 10 minutes. Gradually mix in flour and vegetable oil. Should pull away from the sides of the bowl but stick to your finger slightly when touched. Add more flour or oil accordingly. Cover with a towel and let rise up to an hour (15 minutes in a warm place will do in a pinch).       

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