You'll love this easy Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe! Restaurant-quality and ready in minutes! Serve with Parmesan-Dijon sauce!
Some entrees just sound "fancy," like this easy Cordon Bleu recipe. Maybe it's because of the fancy spelling of "bleu" or because it reminds us of the famous French cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu.
In any case, this simple, yet impressive French chicken dish will impress for sure and it's easy to make!
Why you'll love this recipe!
- Flavorful, tender chicken in a crunchy batter with a dreamy Dijon Parmesan sauce
- Impressive, yet easy - looks and sounds fancier than it really is!
- Economical - 3 breasts (cut in half) make 6 servings!
Here's what you'll need:
Cordon Bleu ingredients: chicken breasts, thinly sliced ham, thinly sliced Swiss cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, garlic, thyme.
The creamy sauce that accompanies this "chicken schnitzel" starts with a basic roux of flour and butter. Add milk, Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese to the roux and it's done!
How to make it:
Four steps in making this easy Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe.
- Pat dry chicken; Slice in half lengthwise
- Add ham and cheese
- Roll and secure with toothpick
- Dredge in breadcrumbs
Place on lightly oiled baking sheet and bake. Make the sauce and drizzle over chicken before serving.
How to make the sauce:
On low heat, melt butter and whisk in flour
Add in milk and continue whisking
Add Dijon mustard, parmesan cheese and vinegar; season with salt and pepper and serve
Keep the heat on low while you're making the Cordon Bleu sauce
FAQ's
How long does it take?
The prep time takes about 15 minutes, and that includes the time it takes to pound the breasts. Cook time takes about 45-minutes depending upon your oven ... sauce takes 5-minutes.
Reheating
Place in baking dish and bake at 325ºF uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Reheat the sauce on the stove top or in the microwave.
Substitutions
Substitute the ham with other cured meats such as Prosciutto or Pancetta, which have a similar in flavor to ham. As for the Swiss cheese, feel free to use any white cheese such as Gruyere or Provolone.
I like to serve this easy Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe with a side of broccolini or broccoli; or steamed Brussels Sprouts.
Related recipes:
- Butter Chicken
- Ratatouille
- Smoked Paprika Chicken with Basmati Rice
- Chicken Fricassee
- Easy Pork Schnitzel
- Perfect Beef Tenderloin
♥ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below! Thank you!
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe
Equipment
- Toothpicks to secure the roll
- Meat mallet
Ingredients
Chicken Stuffing and Coating
- 3 chicken breasts trimmed, boneless, skinless
- 6 thin slices ham
- 6 thin slices Swiss cheese
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 stick butter melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Dijon Sauce
- 1 stick butter
- ½ cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- Lightly oil baking dish
- Soak 8-12 toothpicks in a small glass of water
- Melt butter in pie pan or flat pan with an edge
- Pour breadcrumbs into a separate flat pan; add thyme and garlic powder; combine well
Assemble the Chicken
- Slice breasts lengthwise and pound to ¼ inch thick (See Recipe Notes)
- Lightly salt and pepper chicken breasts
- Place one slice of cheese on each piece; then, add a slice of ham
- Roll the chicken and secure with a few toothpicks
- Using tongs, dredge the rolled chicken in the melted butter then in the bread crumbs
- Place breaded chicken roll in a lightly oiled baking dish
- Bake uncovered @ 350ºF until internal temperature reaches 165ºF
Make the Sauce
- In a medium pan, melt butter
- Gradually sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly with a whisk
- Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly
- Add Dijon mustard, vinegar and Parmesan cheese (See Recipe Notes)
- Drizzle sauce over chicken cordon bleu and serve
Notes
- Cut breasts in half lengthwise; pound to ¼ inch thick with meat mallet.
- Note: if you don't want to cut the chicken you can use a whole breast; just be sure to pound it down really thin and realize it will take a little longer to cook
- This roux-based sauce takes about 5-minutes to make and makes about 2 cups.
- Make the sauce right after the Cordon Bleu is done. Look at the consistency right after its combined and keep the heat on a low temperature.
- To thin, add a little more milk and turn the heat up a little on the stove.
- To thicken, sprinkle in more flour
MaryAnn nicoletti says
Would have been clearer to add the rest of the directions. After putting the rolls in the oiled pan....my q’s would be covered or not and then I had to look back at the beginning to find the oven time. Otherwise easy to follow. Thanks
Anecia says
Thanks MaryAnn! Good catch! I added the bake temp and to bake uncovered...thank you very much!