Chicken Cordon Bleu Panini Sandwich

Christmas was good. Not perfect — perfect is a word for people who don't have three kids and a ham that was slightly overcooked on one side because this oven still runs hot and I still haven't fully calibrated my baking times — but good. Good is the word for a table full of people you love, eating food you made, in a house that is becoming yours one meal at a time.

Christmas Eve dinner was the ham, the scalloped potatoes, the green beans, the rolls, and yes, the Jello salad, which sat on the table untouched by everyone except Phyllis, who ate it with the conviction of a woman defending her legacy, and Dale, who ate it because Dale eats everything and comments on nothing. Dad ate a full plate. A full plate. Ham, potatoes, green beans, two rolls. Mom looked at me across the table and her eyes said what her mouth didn't: he's eating. That's the only Christmas present either of us wanted.

Christmas morning was wrapping paper and chaos. Noah got a robotics kit and immediately began assembling it on the living room floor, surrounded by paper and ribbon. Emma got books and a dollhouse and the dramatically disappointed expression of a child who wanted a horse and received furniture. She recovered within thirty seconds because Emma recovers from everything within thirty seconds. Jack got a kid-sized set of gardening tools — a real trowel, real pruning shears, a real kneeling pad — and he held them the way other kids hold video games. Kevin and I looked at each other. We got it right with that one.

Mom gave me Marlene's wooden spoon — the one with the crack in the handle, the one she's been cooking with for forty years. She said, "You need it more than I do now." I held it and tried to say thank you and couldn't because my throat had closed. A wooden spoon shouldn't make you cry. But this isn't a wooden spoon. It's a lineage. It's every tater tot hotdish and every canning session and every cinnamon roll morning in the farm kitchen and it fits in my hand the way it fit in hers because we have the same hands.

We ate leftovers for dinner. Ham sandwiches, cold scalloped potatoes, cookies from the tin. The kids played with their presents. Kevin fell asleep on the couch at seven PM. Dad and Mom drove back to Grinnell. I washed the dishes with Marlene's wooden spoon sitting on the counter beside me, keeping me company, and I thought: this kitchen is mine now. It took a spoon to make it so. But it's mine.

That night, standing at the sink with Marlene’s wooden spoon keeping me company, I didn’t want to cook anything heavy or ceremonial — I just wanted something that felt like a treat without the fuss, something the kids would actually eat and Kevin might wake up for. Chicken Cordon Bleu Paninis had been on my mind since I saw a version somewhere last month, all that warm ham and melty cheese pressed into crispy bread, and it felt exactly right for the in-between space of the day after Christmas. Here’s how I made them.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 8 minutes | Total Time: 18 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 ciabatta rolls or 8 slices sourdough bread
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon honey
8 oz cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced (rotisserie works great)
8 oz leftover holiday ham, thinly sliced
8 slices Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the honey Dijon spread. In a small bowl, stir together the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and honey until smooth. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Assemble the sandwiches. Spread the honey Dijon mixture on the inside of each roll or bread slice. Layer with sliced chicken, then ham, then two slices of Swiss cheese per sandwich.
Butter the outside. Mix the softened butter with garlic powder. Spread evenly on the outside of each sandwich — both top and bottom — to get that golden, crispy crust.
Press and cook. Heat a panini press or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add sandwiches and press down firmly (use a heavy pan on top if you don’t have a press). Cook 3—4 minutes per side until golden brown and cheese is fully melted.
Rest and serve. Let rest one minute before slicing. Serve with a simple green salad or a bowl of soup alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Panini Sandwich — Because Leftover Ham Deserves Something Better Than Plain Bread