Don’t let the fancy name deter you; Chicken Cordon Bleu is easy to make at home.
Chicken breasts, thin slices of deli ham, and swiss cheese are rolled jelly roll style, dipped in bread crumbs and until tender and juicy.
To make it extra special, I serve it with a quick Dijon sauce.
A Fancy Favorite Made Easy
“Cordon Bleu” translates from French to blue ribbon. Typically, it is a chicken rolled around, ham, and Swiss cheese, then breaded and baked or fried.
- This chicken cordon bleu recipe is easy to make.
- It uses with simple ingredients you know and love.
- I bake cordon blue instead of deep frying.
- If can be made ahead of time and baked before serving.
What You’ll Need To Make Cordon Bleu
- Chicken: Choose smaller chicken breasts, if possible, about 5 to 6 oz. Larger chicken breasts can be cut in half cross-wise to create thinner cutlets. Pound the chicken to ½-inch thick using the flat side of a meat mallet.
- Ham: Thin slices of deli ham are the easiest to roll, but you can also use leftover baked ham. If using leftovers, dice it or very thinly slice it.
- Cheese: Use shredded or thin slices of Swiss cheese.
- Breadcrumbs: I prefer the finer crumbs of seasoned breadcrumbs for a light, even coating. You can replace it with seasoned Panko breadcrumbs or use a combination.
Variations
- Ham: Replace ham with prosciutto or smoked turkey.
- Cheese: Swap Swiss cheese for provolone (slightly more tangy) or even cheddar cheese!
Sauce for Chicken Cordon Bleu
This cordon bleu sauce recipe is an easy homemade Dijon cream sauce. It’s simple to make with 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.
How to Prepare Chicken for Rolling
- Place a boneless skinless chicken breast on a cutting board and cover it with plastic wrap to keep the juices from splattering.
- Use the flat side of a meat mallet or tenderizer and gently pound the chicken to ¼-inch thick.
- If the chicken breast is very 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
- Prepare the chicken breasts (above). Layer the ham and Swiss cheese on each breast.
- Roll each chicken breast jelly roll style. Roll the chicken in melted butter and then seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Bake per the recipe below. While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce.
Voila! A fancy restaurant-style meal that is actually easy to make at home.
Serving Suggestion: Serve Chicken Cordon Bleu with a starch and a fresh vegetable.
- Try mashed potatoes or rice.
- Add steamed or roasted vegetables like broccoli, green beans, or asparagus.
Storage and Leftovers
Store leftover chicken cordon bleu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the microwave to heat it through and then lightly pan fry it to crisp the outside. Leftover cordon blue can also be reheated in the air fryer at 320°F for 13-18 minutes.
More Stuffed Chicken Recipes
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 deli ham
- 4 ounces Swiss cheese or Gruyere cheese, shredded or sliced
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet 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 melted 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.
- To make the sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the 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 for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the toothpicks from the chicken. Serve immediately with the sauce.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, 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.
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!
So, so good! I used Canadian bacon and havarti cheese since that’s what I had. There were no leftovers! Saving to my “favorites” file.
made this for supper tonight, excellent recipe, loved the sauce
I have always wanted to try to make this dish from scratch so glad you gave me a push to do it by choosing it as this month’s cooking challenge. I appreciate the tip for reheating using an air fryer.
I would love to make this for my mom but she doesn’t like swissor gruyere. Can I use Provolone instead or another more simple cheese?
Absolutely, this will work with almost any hard cheese that melts well.
Thank you
Thank you for the recipe link..
You are very welcome, Regina!
I made this with boneless thighs and it turned out great!
My husband loved it!
Easy to make & the sauce tops it off perfectly.
Thanks for sharing!
this was absolutely delicious!
this was absolutely delicious!
Made It, and I will absolutely be making this dish again. I actually substituted the ham with Prosciutto and it turned out great!!! The sauce was simple, but very good…my husband added extra, and even dipped each bite in the sauce!! Great recipe.. thank you!! :0)
What if you don’t the white wine? Is there a sub you can use or omit it altogether?
Thanks…
It can be replaced with additional chicken broth.
This recipe was easy to follow and very tasty. I used grainy mustard in the sauce.
I love that this is so easy to make and looks so impressive. It was delicious!
This was so GOOD. will BE MAKING AGAIN AND AGAIN…
Excellent taste, easy to make.
I like your recipe, and I prepared it as written. Two nights later I prepared it again, but I substituted a more flavorful Virginia country ham … to rave reviews from my dinner guests.
Thanks for sharing your substitution, Andrew! I am glad it was such a hit.
needs to cook longer to reach temp and brown the bread crumbs.
We found it took 35-40 minutes for the chicken to fully cook but you can increase the time if necessary. If your chicken breasts are a little larger they may take longer to cook fully.
Turned out great!! Will make again!!