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? 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!
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.
You don’t sound at all experienced subbing starch for flour in a sauce
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!