This easy recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu is simple to prepare, baked instead of fried, and finished with a gorgeously creamy Dijon mustard sauce.
You’ll love the crispy crumb coating on these juicy stuffed chicken breasts!
Chicken Cordon Bleu is a classic, vintage, retro recipe that has been around forever! Julia Child popularized the dish in her cookbook back in 1961, and it’s been a favorite of home cooks and restaurant chefs ever since.
It’s a fusion dish that uses ham and cheese from Switzerland and a decadent cream sauce that is a staple in French cuisine. In French, cordon bleu means “blue ribbon”, and this recipe is definitely winning!
It’s easier than it looks to make these crispy stuffed chicken breasts in the oven! Next, you can try my Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe, or feel confident rolling chicken cutlets around any of your favorite savory ingredients!
The method for making baked Chicken Cordon Bleu is quick and easy – quick enough and easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but fancy enough for a weekend too.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe Highlights
- Easy Baked Chicken Recipe – These stuffed chicken breasts have the crispiest breadcrumb coating, and you don’t need to fry them! The crumbs will crisp up wonderfully in the oven with one simple trick that I’ll share with you.
- Traditional Flavors – This chicken cordon bleu recipe is totally classic, and will taste just like a dish you might order at a fancy French restaurant. Fresh ham and Swiss cheese are the key to getting the classic flavor of this meal.
- Creamy Dijon Sauce – My sauce for chicken cordon bleu takes just minutes to make on the stovetop and adds the perfect rich, creamy finishing touch to this meal.
Ingredients In Chicken Cordon Bleu
Here’s what you need to make this classic stuffed chicken recipe:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breasts: This recipe works best with smaller or medium-sized chicken breasts. Really large chicken breasts will be thicker and take much longer to cook.
- Ham and Cheese: Sliced deli ham and slices of Swiss Cheese are the classic filling for cordon bleu. You’ll need 2 slices of each per chicken breast.
- Breadcrumbs: I’m using Japanese-style panko bread crumbs because I love the extra crunch that they bring. Any type of breadcrumbs will work though.
- Seasonings: To make the breadcrumbs extra delicious, we will add garlic powder, onion powder, and dried thyme. You’ll also need some salt and black pepper to season the chicken.
- Olive Oil Spray: This is key to making the crispiest coating! we’ll lightly spray the breadcrumbs with oil before toasting them.
- Melted Butter: There are a few different ways to get the breadcrumbs to stick to the chicken, but I found that melted butter gave a better crispy texture than others I tested, including mayo and egg.
- For the Sauce: This Creamy Dijon Sauce is so, so good! I’ll show you how to make it with butter, garlic, flour, milk, Dijon mustard, and parmesan cheese.
How To Make Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
Tip!
Hold the oil bottle vertically when you’re spraying the breadcrumbs. This should help to keep the spray from blowing the crumbs off of the tray!
Recipe Tips
- Pounding out the chicken: I like to butterfly the chicken breasts first, then pound them out between sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat mallet. It’s ideal to make the meat thin and even so that it will cook quickly in the oven. This is easiest to do with smaller chicken breasts.
- Recipe servings: This recipe makes four chicken breasts (even though only 3 are pictured above) and can easily be halved or doubled. You’ll need two slices of ham and two slices of cheese per chicken breast.
- Baking the chicken: If you have one, place a wire rack on top of your baking pan and cook the chicken on it, elevated. This will allow any juices to drip away and keep the chicken rolls crispy as they bake.
Storing Tips
- Keep leftover chicken cordon bleu in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- You can reheat in the microwave. To crisp up the outside again, lightly pan fry for a couple of minutes.
- This also reheats well in the air fryer! 325°F/160°C for 10-15 minutes should do the trick.
What to Serve With Chicken Cordon Bleu
There are plenty of easy sides to go with chicken cordon blue!
For simplicity, serve this with a simple tossed salad, your favorite steamed vegetables like green beans or broccoli, or classic baked potatoes.
If you want to get a little bit more fancy, try some of these:
- Duchess Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Buttered Noodles
- Mushroom Bread Pudding
- Roasted Carrots and Broccoli
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes
- Asparagus Casserole
For dessert, why not try something French? French Crepes, Croissant Bread Pudding, or a classic Lemon Tart will be the perfect end to this delicious meal.
Recipe FAQs
Do I have to toast the breadcrumbs first?
Toasting the breadcrumbs in the oven is my secret trick to getting golden brown, crispy Chicken Cordon Bleu in the oven. Pre-toasting gives the breadcrumbs a head start so that they will be perfectly golden and crunchy! I don’t recommend skipping this step.
You could also toast the breadcrumbs with oil in a skillet, but I think the oven is easier.
What can I use instead of Butter to Bread the Chicken?
Other recipes use mayonnaise (or a combination of mayo and Dijon mustard) as a glue to hold the breadcrumbs to the chicken. This works, but the breadcrumbs get crispier using my method.
Eggs can also be used as a binder in the dredging process. Again, that works, but it’s not quite as delicious.
What is cordon bleu sauce made of?
The sauce for Chicken Cordon Bleu starts with a garlic, butter, and cream base that is thickened with flour. It’s then seasoned with Dijon mustard, black pepper, and parmesan cheese. Yum!
It’s simple to make this classic recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu in the oven! Pin this recipe to save it – It’s perfect for dinner guests or any night of the week.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (40 g) panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Olive oil spray
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 slices ham or deli-sliced turkey
- 8 ounces (225 g) Swiss cheese slices or shredded
- ½ cup (113 g) butter melted
Creamy Dijon Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons (26 g) butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup (21 g) parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Chicken:
- Preheat the Oven to 390°F (200°C) or 180°C for a fan oven.
- On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the panko breadcrumbs with garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme. Spread the mixture evenly across the sheet and spray with oil, holding the spray vertically to avoid blowing the breadcrumbs off the tray.
- Bake for 3 to 5 minutes until the panko is lightly golden, then transfer it to a shallow bowl.
- Place each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them to about ¼-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
- Layer two slices of ham and a portion of Swiss cheese in the center of each chicken breast. Roll up the chicken tightly, tucking in the sides to keep the filling inside. Secure with toothpicks if needed.
- Dip each chicken roll in melted butter, then coat with the toasted breadcrumb mixture, pressing to ensure an even coating.
- Place a wire rack on a baking tray (this helps the chicken bake more evenly, though it’s optional). Arrange the breaded chicken rolls on the rack and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
For the Creamy Dijon Sauce:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the flour and cook for another minute. Slowly whisk in the milk, cooking until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Whisk in Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Drizzle the warm Dijon sauce over the baked chicken cordon bleu.
Notes:
- Pounding out the chicken: I like to butterfly the chicken breasts first, then pound them out between sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat mallet. It’s ideal to make the meat thin and even so that it will cook quickly in the oven. This is easiest to do with smaller chicken breasts.
- Recipe servings: This recipe makes 4 chicken breasts and can easily be halved or doubled. You’ll need 2 slices of ham and two slices of cheese per chicken breast.
- Baking the chicken: If you have one, place a wire rack on top of your baking pan and cook the chicken on it, elevated. This will allow any juices to drip away and keep the chicken rolls crispy as they bake.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Stewball says
oh my. Turkey slices. can’t eat bacon here. looks fabulously.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
You can definitely replace the ham with turkey. Enjoy!
Miska Knezevic says
eXCELLENT!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you so much!!