Quick Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is kind of like making an inside out version of Chicken Cordon Bleu.

Quick Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/4-1 1/2 pounds), trimmed and tenders removed (see Tip)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese (I used Imported Swiss)
2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs (see Note) (I used regular panko crumbs)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or thyme (I used thyme, use a little more than this)
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped ham (about 1 ounce) (I used Canadian Bacon and it worked well)

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt. Combine cheese and cream cheese in a bowl. Combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper with breadcrumbs, parsley (or thyme) and 2 teaspoons oil in another bowl.
Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large, ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Move the chicken to the center so all pieces are touching. Spread with the cheese mixture, sprinkle with ham, then top with the breadcrumb mixture.
Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F, 5 to 7 minutes.