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Easy preparation and simple ingredients makes this Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu a fabulous mid-week dinner. It’s fancy enough for company, easy enough for every day!
Step by step photos and instructions below!
This is such a great recipe you’ll keep around forever and make over and over again! Anytime I make this for anyone, they beg me for the recipe!
It’s one of our favorite things to make, because it looks and sounds fancy, but it’s not difficult.
This classic dish, has been around for a long time and there are a lot of versions out there. My version uses melted butter and bread crumbs instead of a flour and egg mixture breading, which cuts down time on busy weeknights.
It’s done in under an hour (less if you prepped ahead!). Tender chicken breasts pounded thin and rolled, with a gooey ham and cheese center, and crunchy, crispy topping.
Creamy Dijon Sauce (optional)
This sauce is the perfect complement to the chicken.
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or onion powder (optional)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional, for richer flavor)
In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until it’s hot but not boiling.
Whisk in the Dijon mustard until it’s fully incorporated.
Stir in the grated parmesan and continue to whisk until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
Add salt, black pepper, and garlic or onion powder (if using) to taste. For a richer flavor, you can also whisk in a tablespoon of unsalted butter until melted.
Once the sauce is smooth and heated through, remove it from the heat and serve it warm over your Chicken Cordon Bleu.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
Low effort – great presentation. Perfect for a family dinner, or a date night.
Simple ingredients. Nothing fancy, nothing you can’t find at your grocery store or on hand in your own pantry.
Easy to prepare – no culinary degree needed!
Make ahead. Prep these and pop them in the casserole dish until ready to bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Translated from French, cordon bleu means u0022Blue Ribbonu0022 – in short, something prepared to a very high standard by excellent cooks.
Absolutely! It’s thin, it’s salty – and it’s delicious. You may wish to use more than one slice, as it’s fairly thin, though!
Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap (or use a plastic ziploc bag). Pound out with a meat mallet.
Literally anything. A rolling pin, a hammer, a wine bottle (carefully), a heavy book, a can of something (full).
Using an instant read thermometer – check the thickest part of your chicken, it should have a 165°F internal temperature.
What side dishes go with Chicken Cordon Bleu?
Try this risotto recipe, for an easy (yet delicious) side. Perhaps a baked potato, mashed potato or some kind of pasta – you choose! I also like to serve this roasted broccoli or sauteed green beans.
I have included step by step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.
Kylee’s Notes
Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks! They don’t taste good.
What to do with leftovers
Cool completely, and wrap or put in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven.
Substitutions/Additions
Use an egg wash or Dijon mustard instead of butter if you prefer.
Change out the seasoning for Italian seasoning, or Tuscan Seasoning and leave out the thyme & garlic.
Freezing instructions
You can make these and store in the freezer, then thaw and reheat.
Wrap each piece of prepared chicken tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Make sure it’s sealed well to prevent freezer burn and retain moisture.
Place in a freezer bag, store and freeze up to 3 months.
Thaw and reheat in the oven.
Broil for Crispiness. If you want to restore some of the crust’s crispiness, you can broil the chicken for an additional 2-3 minutes. Watch closely to prevent burning.
Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Butter. I use salted butter and melt it to dip the chicken in before crumbing.
- Thyme, salt & pepper, garlic powder. Don’t skip! These are important to season the chicken and provide a depth of flavor not possible without it!
- Chicken breast. For this recipe, you can buy chicken cut into thin cutlets and pound them out to be thinner. Otherwise just use a sharp knife and slice some chicken breasts lengthways into cutlets.
- Swiss cheese. Any mild, melty cheese like Swiss, colby or provolone will work well.
- Deli ham. Use your favorite kind, just make sure you grab thin ham slices. I like black forest ham if I have a choice in ham flavors, but anything works.
- Panko breadcrumbs. Don’t sub regular bread crumbs here – the panko is what will give it an amazing crispy coating.
Styled Pin Header
- Measuring spoons
- Bowls (large and small)
- Digital Thermometer
- Mallet
- Kitchen Knife
- Toothpicks
How to make this recipe
Scroll for Recipe
The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Get prepped
Preheat the oven to 355°F. Melt the butter and mix together the seasonings (thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder). Prepare a baking sheet or baking dish.
Using a meat mallet (see notes for what to use if you don’t have one!) place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap (or use a zip lock bag and a rolling pin). Pound the chicken breasts evenly until they’re about half an inch thick. Use the seasonings and season up the chicken!
Assembly
Place slices of ham on each chicken breast, then a cheese slice. Top with another slice of ham.
Breading
Set you melted butter in a bowl, and add the bread crumbs to another shallow bowl. This will be your breading station.
Roll up the chicken, and dip into the melted butter.
Dip the chicken rolls in the panko bread crumbs.
Place each one on the prepared baking sheet.
Tuck in the ends and secure each chicken bundle with toothpicks.
Bake
Bake for 35-40 mins, or until a thermometer reads 165°F. You can briefly broil the top until golden brown if you wish.
This can be made in an air fryer -just bake at 370°F for 20-25 minutes until an internal temperature of 165°F is reached.
Remove from the oven
Let stand for 5 minutes (so it has time to cool!).
Either place one chicken cordon bleu on each plate, or cut into slices.
More delicious Chicken Recipes:
- Lemon Chicken. Got a lemon? Some pasta? Great! We’re in business!
- This creamy chicken dinner is a family favorite!
- Spicy & Sweet Chicken Diablo
- Low Carb Chicken Provencal & Vegetables
- ALL CHICKEN RECIPES
If you have tried this recipe or any other recipe on Kylee Cooks, leave a comment and rating – I truly love to hear from you!
Find me on Pinterest, Facebook & Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Recommended Equipment
- Bowls (large and small)
- Mallet
- Toothpicks
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1 oz swiss cheese (sliced)
- 4 slices deli ham
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
Directions
- Pre heat the oven to 350F.
- Melt the butter in a large bowl.
- Mix together the thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Using a kitchen mallet, pound the chicken breasts evenly until they’re about half an inch thick.
- Season chicken on both sides with the mixed seasonings.
- Place a slice of ham on each chicken breast, then a slice of swiss cheese, and top with another slice of ham.
- Roll up the chicken, and dip into the melted butter, then the panko.
- Place in the greased baking dish.
- Tuck in the ends and secure each chicken bundle with toothpicks.
- Bake for 35-40 mins, or until a thermometer reads 165F.
- Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
- To serve, either place one chicken cordon bleu on each plate, or cut into slices.
- Devour.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Jen says
This sounds perfect! I’m going to make it tonight. Thank you
Whitney Rushing says
Absolutely delicious! My husband and I love this! I have made it once with Swiss and once with Havarti… Both delicious 😀
Kate says
I made a Parmesan cream sauce to drizzle over the top. Delish
Lisa says
Fabulous
Sherri says
Can dark meat of Chicken be used for this recipe? My husband is not a fan of white meat.
Kylee says
Sure, but chicken thighs aren’t going to be able to rolled as prettily as breasts. But they’ll taste amazing
Amanda says
Kylee, this was delicious! Served it got a dinner party of ten. So flavorful and delicious. Question: do you think I could freeze leftovers to reheat later? I have leftovers and would love to save them for the next time I’m craving cordon bleu.
Kylee says
I freeze leftovers all the time. Reheat in the oven vs microwave if you want a crispy crust.
Ann m cotroneo says
It was the best i ever made! Delish!
Leslie says
Wow I’ve never made this. Easy ingredients and photos will always be a winner recipe for me.
Made this today and it was sooooo good! All the right flavors in there! This one is going in my recipe box for sure. Thanks for sharing. Will have to take a look at your other recipes now 😉.
georgie says
This is so delicious, and so easy to make! I always thought chicken cordon bleu would be much trickier! Great recipe!
Jenni says
I made this chicken for my parents this past weekend and we loved it! It was a lot easier to make than I thought it would be, and my dad said it was just like the chicken cordon bleu that his mom used to make! We will definitely be enjoying this again!
stephanie says
I love the step by step photos! I’ve actually never made a stuffed chicken recipe, have to try yours my family would love it!
Julie Menghini says
We love Cordon Bleu and I never think to make it! My family is going to love this recipe!
Mary Ann Ramos says
Very Very Good!
Madison | A Joyfully Mad Kitchen says
We had this for dinner tonight and it was SO yummy! My toddler asked for more chicken TWICE, which is something that never happens. Thanks for this easy recipe!
Kate says
This was one of my favorite meals as a kid!