My introduction to chicken cordon bleu came courtesy of Sysco. Y’all know Sysco, right? They supply restaurants and cafeterias with food.

A few times during my childhood, my mom had the opportunity to place an order through her work. She would get together with a few other employees to split boxes of whatever they had decided to order. Every time, I begged her to get the chicken cordon bleu.

It was like a giant chicken nugget with melty cheese and ham in the center, all wrapped in soft, white-meat chicken and a crunchy breading.

Was it authentic? No. I imagine the Swiss chef who invented the dish would roll in his grave if he knew someone was calling this by that name.

But it was undeniably delicious. To this day, that’s the version I prefer.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been easy to find. Most grocery stores don’t carry it. I’ve found it at Aldi, but it seems seasonal there. I’ve tried a few homemade versions, including some simplified recipes at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, which are excellent. I’ve even written about them here. But none had that soft, chicken-nugget texture.

So when I saw this meatball version, I was intrigued. The timing was perfect. I had just thawed three pounds of ground turkey and used only about a pound and a half. (Yes, I had committed the cardinal sin of freezing the entire package rather than dividing it into meal-sized portions. Never again. Until next time.)

As an added bonus, the recipe let me use some deli ham and a partial block of Swiss cheese languishing in the fridge.

The result was a success. My family and I all agreed that Swiss is a strong-tasting cheese for this otherwise mild dish. Next time, I’ll try Havarti or Gouda, which is what I usually use when making cordon bleu at home.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU MEATBALLS

(Adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
Meatballs
1/4 cup finely minced onion
1/4 cup milk, cream, or half-and-half
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs, divided
1/2 cup finely diced deli ham
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
About 2 oz. cheese of your choice (traditionally Swiss; Havarti or Gouda recommended), cut into dime-sized cubes (one per meatball, about 12–16 total)
1/2 cup neutral cooking oil

Sauce (optional)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth (or bouillon plus water)
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. mustard (plain yellow, Dijon, or spicy brown)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. lemon juice (about half a lemon)

Directions:
■ Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or prepare for a wire rack. Preheat oven to 400°F.
■ In a mixing bowl, combine onion, milk, egg, ham, 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Add ground meat and mix until just combined.
■ Form mixture into meatballs. Press one cube of cheese into each meatball. Roll each meatball in remaining breadcrumbs to coat. Chill meatballs in the freezer about 10 minutes to help cheese stay inside.
■ Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown meatballs on all sides; they do not need to cook through at this point. Work in batches if necessary. Transfer browned meatballs to a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet.
■ Bake meatballs 10 minutes in preheated oven.

Optional sauce directions:
■ Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook about 1 minute.
■ Slowly whisk in broth, then milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
■ Add mustard, salt, and pepper. Cook, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
■ Serve sauce over meatballs.

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.