Chicken Cordon Bleu is a fancy-sounding dish that’s actually easy to make at home.
It’s made with tender chicken breasts, smoky ham and goey swiss cheese all rolled up and baked in the oven until the chicken is tender and juicy.
To make it extra special, it’s served with a simple creamy dijon sauce.
What is Chicken Cordon Bleu?
Chicken Cordon Bleu is a fancy-sounding French dish that’s surprisingly easy to make at home. “Cordon Bleu” translates from French to blue ribbon.
Traditionally, it’s made with chicken breasts wrapped around ham and swiss cheese. But don’t be afraid to get creative and mix things up!
Ham – I find thin slices of deli ham to roll the easiest but leftover ham works (and it can be diced or thinly sliced). Substitute ham for prosciutto or smoked turkey if you’d like.
Cheese – Swiss cheese is the traditional choice for cordon bleu. Swap out the Swiss for provolone (slightly tangy) or even cheddar cheese!
Breadcrumbs – I prefer the finer crumb of seasoned breadcrumbs in this recipe. Panko can be substituted.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce
This cordon bleu sauce recipe is an easy homemade dijon cream sauce.
It’s simple to make and packs a big flavor with the additions of Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and parmesan cheese. Not only does this sauce pair well with my chicken cordon bleu recipe, it’s also great on veggies.
If you prefer, you can serve this with an easy cheese sauce or even hollandaise. Or, if you’re short on time, you can skip the sauce altogether.
How to Prepare Chicken for Rolling
You’ll be surprised when you see how easy this chicken cordon bleu recipe is to make! Start by preparing the chicken so it can be rolled up.
- Place a boneless skinless chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (this keeps it from splattering juices everywhere).
- Pound the chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet or tenderizer until it is 1/4″ thick. If the chicken breast is really thick, you can butterfly it open before pounding.
- Be firm but gentle when pounding so the chicken thins out but doesn’t get damaged or fall apart.
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu
If you have time, soak the toothpicks in water before securing the chicken to keep them from burning and make them easy to remove. I always put 2 toothpicks per roll so I can account for all of them when I am serving.
- Prepare the chicken breasts (above) and layer them with ham and swiss cheese.
- Roll in the chicken breasts up, jelly roll style.
- Roll them in melted butter with garlic, and then seasoned breadcrumbs! Place them on a baking sheet or in a dish and bake per the recipe below.
- While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce!
Voila! A fancy restaurant meal that really is easy to make at home (but don’t worry, your secret is safe with us)!
Cordon bleu is a rich meal with bold flavors, so light and fresh sides make the perfect complement.
I would suggest steamed or roasted vegetables like broccoli, green beans, or roasted asparagus.
Add in a tossed or Caesar Salad and a side of garlic butter rice for the perfect meal!
This baked chicken cordon bleu recipe can feed as few as four or double the recipe and have a fancy dinner party for 8!
Roll and dredge the chicken breasts per the recipe below. Place them on rack on top of a baking sheet and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Prepared cordon bleu can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
Keep leftover chicken cordon bleu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It can be reheated in the microwave to heat it through and then lightly pan fried, air fried, or broiled to crisp the breadcrumbs.
Savory Stuffed Chicken
Did you enjoy this Chicken Cordon Bleu? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 5-6 oz each
- 4 slices ham
- 4 ounces Swiss cheese or Gruyere cheese, shredded or sliced
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon thyme
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a baking dish or pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- Place the chicken breasts in between two pieces of plastic wrap and, using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, pound to ¼-inch thick (*see note). Season with ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
- Top each chicken breast with 1 slice of ham and about 1 oz cheese. Roll the chicken jelly roll style. Secure with a toothpick.
- Combine butter and garlic in a small dish. Mix breadcrumbs and thyme in a separate bowl. Dip each chicken roll in butter and then into the breadcrumb mixture.
- Place in a baking dish and bake 35-40 minutes or until the chicken reaches a internal temperature of 165°F.
Sauce
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add in milk and wine a little bit at a time stirring after each addition until the mixture is smooth. Add in Dijon, bouillon and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil while whisking and reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over chicken.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, French© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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More Cordon Bleu-Inspired Meals
- Cordon Bleu Casserole – No cream of anything soup in this!
- Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu – Summertime favorite!
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup – Easy, dreamy, creamy!
Worked out great!! Will make again
No question, this is by far the BEST chicken cordon Bleu recipe!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Lisa!
do you bake the chicken WITHOUT the sauce on top? Covered or uncovered? Sounds yummy.
This is baked uncovered without sauce. Enjoy!
Hi Holly
What can I use in place of wine for the sauce.
thanks
Glynnis
While it would change the flavor, you could try a little bit of apple juice or chicken broth. Enjoy Glynnis!
This was a big hit with my husband. I modified just a tad. Used seasoned 3/4 panko bread crumb mixed w/ crushed French fried onions ( like used in green bean casserole). I also blended my ham w/ my cheese and spread it on my pounded chicken , then more shredded Kerrygold Swiss on top, then rolled. Didn’t need any toothpicks. I baked and then re-heated later for dinner in my Ninja air fryer. Turned out so nice and crispy and still moist inside. I also added Maille whole mustard seed along w/ Maille Dijon in the sauce. This is a keeper and something that I would serve for guests.
So much easier to bake than cook in a skillet. Was so good. i kinda veered off from the recipe a little bit by dredging the chicken in flour and . then breadcrumbs. Next time, I was to try panko for a heavier crisp. Then for the sauce, I want to try and use heavy whipping cream to give it a richer taste.
Outstanding sauce! After breading I rolled each breast in plastic wrap to form a tight “log” an refrigerated 45 min to keep the shape……,no toothpicks needed. Cook seam side down. Excellent results!!
can you make the sauce the night before
That should work well, Maureen. Enjoy!
I made this last night, left off the sauce and it was still very good. I’ll never buy the premade chicken cordon blue again.
It seems your recipes are delicious and classy. I like that coz I want to serve foods to my family with a unique menus.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you. it’s about to go in the oven!
I am about to make your Chicken Cordon Bleu. I don’t find a cooking time or temperature. Help please?
Hi Peter, to see the full list of instructions with amounts you need to scroll to the bottom to the recipe. You can also click “jump to recipe” at the top of each page. This chicken cooks at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until chicken reaches 165°F. I hope this helps!
Thank you. it’s about to go in the oven!
This recipe is delicious! It’s easy, yet fancy enough for guests. It is a real winner !
I really liked this recipe
I’m an experienced cook and I was very disappointed in this recipe. I had invited relatives over for dinner and at the last minute they had to cancel. I was thankful because the recipe was almost tasteless. I think chicken today is almost tasteless and they may have been part of the problem.
But the biggest issue was the sauce. I admit I substituted corn starch for flour to make the roue, but followed the recipe exactly with regard to the other ingredients. The “sauce” was so thick that I ended up adding almost a cup of water to it in order to make it pourable. The recipe called for a chicken boullion cube, but not the usual cup of water that goes with it. Perhaps that was the problem. The chicken rollups were edible. Anyway, I would not recommend this recipe at all. I don’t know what I could have done wrong.
Substituting cornstarch for flour would change the consistency of the sauce making it too thick.
An experienced cook would know cornstarch is not a substitute for flour. Especially in a roux over heat.
Delicious; sauce was fantastic and prep was very little. Definitely a keeper in our recipe rotation! * I did substitute Canadian bacon slices only because it was what I had on hand, and I will definitely continue to use in place of ham!
How can I reheat leftover cordon Bleu without drying out
Thank you
Hi Grace, for best results we reheat it back in the oven at 350°F for 8-12 minutes or until heated through. Hope that helps!
Made your chicken cordon blue tonight for dinner… Outstanding and very easy!
Is this wine for cooking or regular white wine? What kind?
We just use whatever regular white wine we have on hand, Jose.
can you substitute the wine?
Hi Maria, you definitely can! It will alter the flavor slightly but you can replace the wine with chicken broth if you prefer.
Can the sauce be made ahead of time and then reheated right before serving?
That should work well, Cassie. Enjoy!