Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu is deliciously breaded chicken filled with ham and cheese. It’s a family favorite recipe baked to perfection!!

For how impressive this Chicken Cordon Bleu looks, it’s actually a pretty quick and easy dinner recipe. Also, be sure to check out our Chicken Corn Bleu Casserole too – it’s just as good!

What is Chicken Cordon Bleu?

My family loves chicken and we eat it at least 3-4 nights a week, but sometimes I get sick of the same old recipes and want to try something new, like today’s Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu. But, what is it exactly?

A cordon bleu is a dish of meat wrapped around cheese, then breaded and pan-fried, deep fried, or baked.

If you haven’t tried it yet, you’re missing out! It’s delicious, and our version is very simple, making it a new go-to dinner recipe in our home.

how to make chicken cordon bleu

I’ve found that it really helps to prepare all of your ingredients before starting, to make the process really quick and simple. I like to have everything on separate plates to make it easy to construct the chicken.

PPREP. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Mix the bread crumbs together on a plate or flat dish.

CHICKEN ROLLS. To make each chicken roll up, layer one slice of ham and one slice of swiss cheese on each of the chicken pieces. Roll up tightly, then roll in the bread crumb mixture. Secure with toothpicks (I used two per piece) and place in the prepared baking dish.

BAKE. Spray with cooking spray. Bake 30 – 35 minutes, or until cooked through.

Delicious Dijon sauce

I think my favorite part of it is the dijon parmesan sauce on top… it is so savory and creamy I just want to eat it with a spoon. Here is how you make it:

HEAT. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to form a smooth paste. Cook 2-3 minutes, until golden.

WHISK. Add the milk, whisking constantly, until combined. Cook until slightly thickened, then slowly add the chicken broth while continuing to whisk constantly to prevent lumps. Whisk in the salt and pepper.

THICKEN. When the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and whisk in the dijon mustard and parmesan cheese until melted and combined.

SERVE. Serve chicken over pasta or rice and drizzle with sauce. I served it over egg noodles, but it would also be delicious over mashed potatoes.

What to serve with cordon bleu?

• Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Broccoli
• Cauliflower Rice
• Cheesy Garlic Bread

Recipe Tips and Variations

How to filet chicken breast: You can filet a chicken breast into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on how large the original piece is. You will want to place the chicken with the longest side parallel to you. Slice the chicken at an angle so that you create 2-3 equal sized pieces. 

Using a meat mallet: You can further prepare your chicken by pounding it so that it is between 1/4″ and ½” thick throughout. To keep juices from splattering, place the chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Firmly, but being careful that you don’t cause the chicken to fall apart, use a meat mallet to create an even thickness.

Use other cheese: I think Swiss cheese tastes the best in this recipem, but I also use it because it melts and holds its shape really well. When substituting other melting cheeses, you might get more cheese melting out the sides but using two toothpicks should help with that.

If you don’t want any of the cheese to leak out of the chicken, be sure to trim and tuck the cheese into the breast as you roll it up. Securely close the open edges with a toothpick and be sure to cover the sealed portion with bread crumbs. 

To cook the chicken in the air fryer, preheat it to 350 and cook for 15 minutes, flipping it over half way through. When it is done, let it cool for a few minutes before removing the toothpicks.

Making ahead & Storing

Make ahead meal: One thing that’s great about this recipe is that you can roll up the chicken up to 24 hours in advance and then refrigerate. This makes it a perfect meal for a dinner party or special occasion!

When you’re ready to bake it, just roll it in the breadcrumbs, pop it in the oven, and make the creamy sauce while it cooks. Easy peasy.

REHEAT. Preheat the oven to 350, place the leftovers on a pan sprayed with cooking spray and reheat for about 15-20 minutes.

You want it to warm up, not cook. If it cooks too much the chicken will be rubbery. To reheat the sauce pour it in a saucepan on the stove on medium heat and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce is hot.

STORE leftovers with aluminum foil or place them in an airtight container. You will want to store the leftover sauce in a separate container so it doesn’t make the bread crumbs soggy. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

FREEZE. The best way to do this is to prepare the chicken as instructed and stop before breading it. Place it in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook it, let it thaw completely in the fridge beforehand. Then bread it and cook it as instructed.

I suggest making the sauce the day it will be served and not freezing it beforehand.

For more savory chicken dishes, try:

• Buttery Baked Chicken
• Crack Chicken
• Healthy Chicken Piccata
• Mexican Chicken

Thank you Alicia from The Baker Upstairs!