Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dijon Sauce
There’s nothing more elegant and delicious than Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dijon-Parmesan sauce. Thin chicken breasts stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese, rolled and coated in seasoned bread crumbs and baked. The result is a crispy rolled chicken breast with great flavor and texture.
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, Dijon mustard, all-purpose flour, lightly beaten eggs, Panko crumbs, salt and pepper.
The creamy sauce is a basic roux of flour and butter. Add milk, Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese to the roux and it’s done!
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 20-25-minutes depending upon your oven … sauce takes 5-minutes.
How to assemble the chicken, cheese and ham
- Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise and pound to 1/4″ inch thickness; lightly season with salt and pepper
- Place a thin slice of ham on the meat, then a slice of cheese
- Shape the layered chicken breast into roll and secure with a toothpick
- Dredge rolled chicken breast in flour, then egg, and finally in the Panko breadcrumbs
- Heat oil in a large skillet; place coated chicken in the oil and cook until the Panko crumbs are a light golden brown; transfer to wire rack
- Bake the stuffed chicken breasts uncovered in the oven for 20-25 minutes
- Serve with sauce
Chicken Cordon Bleu sauce ingredients
This quick and easy sauce has just the right amount of “tanginess” to go with the creamy Swiss cheese and ham!
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
Recipe Tips
- Pound the chicken breasts to ¼” inch thick
- Do NOT use colored toothpicks – their color bleeds into the chicken when cooking)
- Get super-thin slices of ham and cheese; thin slices makes it easier to roll
- Put the toothpicks in securely, but make sure you can still see them after the chicken cordon bleu is done. If you push the toothpicks in too far, you can’t find them when it’s time to remove them.
- Browning the cordon blue chicken rolls in the oil first helps keep the breading on. Don’t get the heat too high or the breadcrumbs will burn.
Reheating Cordon Bleu
You want to keep the breading crispy, so the best way to reheat Cordon Bleu is in the oven.
Place cooked chicken on baking sheet and bake at 375ºF uncovered for 15-20 minutes. If you don’t want the crispy coating to brown any further, place a foil tent over the chicken.
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.
Make ahead
This dish tastes best when freshly baked and while the chicken is still moist. If you want to make it in advance, I recommend assembling the uncooked cordon bleu rolls and refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
When ready to serve, heat oven to 375ºF, dredge chicken rolls in flour, egg and Panko crumbs. Brown the Panko coating in a skillet then bake.
Prepare the Dijon sauce while the chicken is baking.
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
- Chicken Linguine Alfredo
♥ 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 cut in half lengthwise trimmed, boneless, skinless
- Dijon mustard
- 6 slices ham, thinly sliced
- 6 slices Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 whole lightly beaten eggs
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- oil (vegetable or canola)
Dijon Sauce
- 1 stick butter
- ½ cup flour
- 1½ cups milk See Recipe Notes
- 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 375ºF
- Get three shallow bowls. Put the flour in one, the lightly beaten eggs in the second and the Panko crumbs, salt and pepper in the third. Set aside¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 whole lightly beaten eggs, 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
Assemble the Chicken
- Slice breasts lengthwise and pound to ¼" inch thick (See Recipe Notes)3 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- Put about 1 tablespoon of Dijon on each breast and lightly season with salt and pepperDijon mustard
- Place one slice of ham on each breast; then place the cheese on top of the ham in the middle of the breast6 slices Swiss cheese, thinly sliced, 6 slices ham, thinly sliced
- Roll the chicken and secure with a toothpick
- Using tongs, dredge the rolled chicken in the flour, then the egg, and finally the Panko breadcrumbs
- Heat ⅛"inch oil on medium heat in a large skilletoil (vegetable or canola)
- Place chicken rolls seam side up in the hot oil and cook 1-2 minutes, just until the Panko crumbs start to brown. Use tongs and rotate the chicken rolls until each one is golden brown all the way around.
- Transfer to a wire rack, seam side down; remove toothpicks and pat gently with a paper towel
- Place wire rack on baking sheet and bake the golden brown chicken rolls on the middle rack for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165℉
Make the Sauce
- While the chicken finishes baking in the oven, make the sauce. In a medium pan, melt butter1 stick butter
- Gradually sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly with a whisk½ cup flour
- Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly1½ cups milk
- Add Dijon mustard, vinegar and Parmesan cheese (See Recipe Notes); season to taste4 tablespoons Dijon mustard, ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, salt and pepper
- Drizzle sauce over chicken cordon bleu and serve
Notes
- Cut breasts in half lengthwise; pound to 1/4 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.
- Add milk in 1/2 cup increments until it is to the desired consistency.
- To thin, add a little more milk and turn the heat up a little on the stove.
- To thicken, sprinkle in more flour
