Joanna Gaines Reveals the "Odd" Way She Celebrated the Birth of Each of Her 5 Children

When you're pregnant, there's a litany of things you can and can't do—especially when it comes to eating. So, if you ask any mom-to-be what they're craving to eat the most as soon as their child is born, you'll probably get an answer without a moment's hesitation. (After all, they've had months to think about this.) Stanley tumbler-sized carafes of cold brew, sushi and the like are pretty standard, but Joanna Gaines takes a different route.

"Any time I have to, or have had to go to the hospital, there are two things I look forward to: chicken cordon bleu and anesthesia. Oh! And the baby! Three, three. I love meeting the baby," she jokes in the latest episode of her cooking show, Magnolia Table.

Pan fried and then baked, this classic dish features a breaded chicken breast stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese, then drizzled with a honey-Dijon mustard-based sauce. It's the kind of comforting, decadent food that can feel restorative, especially after hours of labor, and it's the first meal she's requested after each of her five children were born.

"It became an odd tradition that when I would have a baby at the hospital—you stay the night—and for me, it was like, 'I just gave birth to an 8-pound human, I need to eat some food,'" she explains. "Chicken cordon bleu was always my choice from the cafeteria."

In the episode, Gaines shares her version of the recipe, which comes together in just 45 minutes and features not one, but two layers of ham and Swiss, for a solid filling-to-chicken ratio. She also makes a chocolate-crusted peanut butter pie, Gruyére potato casserole and an arugula and dried cherry salad.

If you'd like to try Gaines's chicken cordon bleu recipe yourself, you can find it on her blog. You can also catch episodes of Magnolia Table on Sundays at 1 p.m. ET on Magnolia Network or stream it on Max.