What is National Chicken Cordon Bleu Day?
National Chicken Cordon Bleu Day is held each year on April 4th, a blue ribbon dish that incorporates chicken, ham, and cheese.
Cordon Bleu translates to "Blue Ribbon" in French. This dish is a spin on the popular Veal Cordon Bleu dish. It is a flattened chicken breast wrapped around ham (or occasionally prosciutto or Canadian bacon) and cheese such as Swiss or Gruyere. Toothpicks hold the chicken together until being dipped in an egg wash and breaded.
The Cincinnati Gourmet Demos' first recipe we were able to find was in a March 1964 edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Despite some myths, it is an American dish. Demos mentions in his column that he preferred chicken over veal "to be different." It has been a popular dish since.
