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This French-inspired Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe is made with rolled-up layers of juicy chicken breast, gooey melted Swiss cheese, and smoked ham with a crunchy breadcrumb coating. Baked rather than fried and finished with an irresistible honey mustard sauce, it’s a dish that never fails to impress!
Easy Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
If you’re looking for a knock-out dinner recipe for the holidays or those special occasions, Chicken Cordon Bleu should be on the top of your list! It’s an easy meal to assemble, consisting of inexpensive ingredients that pack a ton of flavor.
The classic mustard sauce is sweetened ever so slightly with honey and spooned over each individual portion just before serving. Customize this chicken cordon bleu with simple ingredient swaps to suit your preferences, and enjoy it alongside your favorite side dishes, such as roasted veggies, salad, mashed potatoes, or fluffy dinner rolls!
What is Chicken Cordon Bleu?
Chicken Cordon Bleu is a dish of Swiss origin, derived from chicken schnitzel. It consists of a pounded chicken breast that is layered with cheese and ham, rolled up tightly, and breaded to be baked or, in some instances, pan-fried.
Traditionally, chicken cordon bleu is served with a sauce that consists of flour and butter roux, milk, Dijon mustard, cheese, and salt and pepper. As you’ll see, a common and favorite adaptation involves the addition of honey in this sauce. Chicken Cordon Bleu became popular in the United States in the 60s and 70s, with many variations developing over time.
Slicing the cooked and stuffed chicken rolls reveals the delicious and eye-catching swirls of chicken, cheese, and ham that make this dish so special.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Chicken Breasts: You’ll need 2 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breasts, which is roughly four breasts.
- Salt and Black Pepper: To season both sides of the chicken breasts.
- Ham: I’ve used sliced smoked ham. Prosciutto can be used instead.
- Swiss Cheese – Sliced or shredded cheese can be used. Sharp white cheddar, Provolone, Gruyere cheese, or Parmesan cheese are great alternatives.
- Flour seasoning: Combine all-purpose flour with salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika powder. Use gluten-free flour when catering to gluten sensitivities. Cayenne pepper can be used for a kick of heat.
- Egg mixture: Combine two eggs with chicken broth. Vegetable broth could be used instead.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Use gluten-free bread crumbs instead if required. You could also make your own breadcrumbs from scratch! Crushed cornflakes or Ritz crackers are another option.
- Mustard Sauce: This consists of a mixture of salted butter, all-purpose flour, Dijon mustard, honey, milk, and salt. You can reduce the salt content in this recipe by using unsalted butter and thicken the sauce with cornstarch or gluten-free flour if you need this dish to cater to gluten allergies. Omit the honey if you don’t want a touch of sweetness in the sauce.
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu
1. Prepare and Chill the Chicken: Layer each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound all over until each breast is ½-inch in thickness. Season both sides of the breasts with a generous amount of salt and pepper, then layer 2-3 slices of ham on the lower half and 2-3 slices of cheese on the upper half of each breast. Roll the chicken breasts tightly with the plastic wrap, folding the chicken ends and twisting them tightly at both ends so that no ham or cheese is left exposed. Chill the rolled chicken breasts in the fridge for 45 minutes to 4 hours.
2. Prepare the Dredging Stations: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a large baking sheet. Set this aside and arrange three shallow bowls, one with the seasoned flour, another with the egg mixture, and the last with the breadcrumbs.
3. Coat the Rolled Chicken: Remove the chicken rolls from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Dredge each roll, one at a time, by rolling first in flour and shaking off any excess flour, then covering in the egg mixture and rolling in the breadcrumbs.
4. Bake the Chicken: Transfer the coated chicken rolls to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, increase the heat to 425 degrees F and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, at which point the breadcrumbs should be golden brown, and the internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees F.
5. Make the Sauce: While the chicken bakes, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan and whisk in the flour until it turns light gold. Then, whisk in the mustard and honey. At this point, the mixture will be a thick paste. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously. Let it simmer until it begins to thicken (about 5 minutes).
6. Serve: Take the sauce off the heat and serve it with the chicken with fresh parsley as garnish!
Recipe Tips
- Be careful when pounding the chicken breasts with a meat mallet. Any holes created can result in the melted cheese spilling out while baking.
- Use an instant thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the chicken accurately. This will ensure cooked chicken that is still juicy and tender. Slicing the chicken to check if it is done isn’t advised, as the cheesy filling will ooze out.
- Stick toothpicks in the chicken rolls just before baking if they appear to be unraveling.
- Plug any seeping ends of the rolled chicken with balled-up pieces of foil or wrap the side with foil to stop any cheese filling from spilling out while baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chilling the chicken helps the rolled chicken hold its shape while being breaded and as it’s baking. Plan ahead so that you allow sufficient chilling time.
Chicken Kiev is stuffed with butter and herbs, while chicken cordon bleu is stuffed with ham and cheese.
Many believe that chicken cordon bleu is French in origin, while it actually originated in Switzerland. It was first recorded in a Swedish cookbook in 1949 as a chicken schnitzel filled with cheese and has since evolved to include ham.
How to Serve Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken Cordon Bleu can be served alongside an array of side dishes, such as lightly buttered pasta or noodles, French fries, roasted Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, homemade dinner rolls or garlic bread, wild rice, or mashed potatoes.
Keep this meal low-carb by serving it with salad, cauliflower mashed potatoes, or creamy parsnip puree!
Pour the dijon cream sauce over each individual serving just before eating so that the crispy breadcrumb coating remains crunchy and doesn’t soften.
Storage
Leftover chicken cordon bleu can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat your chicken in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or in an air fryer for 5-6 minutes.
Can You Freeze Chicken Cordon Bleu?
Yes, you can! Chicken cordon bleu can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for 3-4 months. Thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
You can also freeze the unbreaded and unbaked chicken rolls in the freezer as a way to make this dish ahead of time. Thaw the frozen chicken rolls in the fridge overnight and coat them in the breadcrumb mixture before baking.
More Delicious Chicken Dishes
- Crack Chicken Casserole
- Nashville Hot Chicken
- Chicken Skewers
- Chicken Fried Chicken Recipe
- Creamy Chicken Marsala
- Chicken Vesuvio Recipe
If you try making this Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, or four breasts
- 8 ounces sliced smoked ham
- 8 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
For the Creamy Dijon Sauce
- 2 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place each piece of chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap, then pound them until they are ½-inch thick all around. (Try not to make any holes while doing this.)
- Season both sides of the chicken with a generous amount of salt and black pepper, then layer 2-3 pieces of ham on the lower half and layer on 2-3 slices of cheese on top of the ham.
- Tightly roll up the chicken and use some plastic wrap to wrap around the chicken, then tightly twist the ends so that the ham and cheese are completely covered by the chicken.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking sheet or baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika together in a shallow bowl, then whisk the eggs and chicken broth together in a shallow bowl, and finally, pour the breadcrumbs into a separate shallow bowl.
- Roll each of the chicken rolls one at a time in the flour, dusting off the excess flour, then cover in the egg mixture, drain, and roll in the breadcrumbs until fully coated.
- Place the chicken on the baking sheet, evenly spaced, and bake for 25 minutes. Increase the heat to 425℉ and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs start to turn a golden brown and the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the chicken is baking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the flour. Whisk until the flour turns light golden, then whisk in the mustard and honey. Slowly add the milk, whisking the entire time, and let it simmer until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and serve the chicken with the rich and creamy honey dijon sauce. Garnish with a bit of fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- Leftovers: This chicken cordon blue can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350-degree air fryer for 5-6 minutes or in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
