An easy Chicken Cordon Bleu which is quick to prepare, and baked rather than fried. All the flavour, all the crunch, a beautiful golden crumb, and it’s better for you!
This retro classic is here to stay – always!
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, coated with crunchy golden breadcrumbs. You’d swear it’s fried – but it’s baked.
The classic way to make Chicken Cordon Bleu involves breast pounded until thin, layered with ham and cheese, rolled into a log, chilled, dredged in flour then egg then breadcrumbs then deep fried (and you need a lot of oil to deep fry them). It’s not dissimilar to Chicken Kiev in this respect.
But phew! I got tired just typing that out!! And it’s certainly not something that I’m making tonight. 🙂
BUT – you can definitely make my Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu tonight. Because it’s just that – EASY.
How to make Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
I stuff my Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu simply by cutting a pocket into chicken breast, then stuffing it with cheese rolled up inside ham (helps stop the cheese melting out, terrific reader tip!) . Secure with toothpicks – and that’s it! The stuffing is done!
Choose your own adventure: Crumbing
Next up is the breadcrumb. I’ve got 2 methods to choose from:
Method 1: Super Easy – Smear mayo and mustard on the chicken, then sprinkle over breadcrumbs. The mayo-mustard mixture acts as glue / flavouring and oil to help make the breadcrumb toasty gold; OR
Method 2: Quick Dredge – Dunk chicken in egg flour mixture (combined in same bowl), then in breadcrumbs.
After coating the chicken with breadcrumbs, just give them a quick spray and voila! Ready for baking!
Super Easy vs Quick Dredge
Here’s a comparison of the 2 methods. There’s no denying the Quick Dredge comes out better looking, and it’s the option I’d use for company. Plus, full coating of crunch.
But the Super Easy version is just so darn quick and easy, and really, the main thing is just the absence of crunch on the underside of the chicken. Small compromise for the convenience, in my humble opinion!
Secret Tip: Oven Toasting Breadcrumbs
If you’ve ever baked something crumbed and been disappointed by how it came out pale and splotchy and/or not as crunchy as you hoped, I think you’re going to love this cheeky tip.
Just spread the breadcrumbs out on a tray, spray with oil, then bake for 3 minutes. This oven toasting gives the breadcrumbs a head start on the colour / crunch factor.
Outcome: Baked crumbed / breaded chicken that is beautifully golden all over and truly crunchy, like it was deep fried! Optional extra step, but truly worth it in my view.
PS Some recipes do this in a skillet – oven is easier. 🙂
And here’s a comparison of the Chicken Cordon Bleu with and without toasting the breadcrumbs. See how splotchy it is without the toasted breadcrumbs compared to the toasted breadcrumbs??
Whichever method you choose, you’ll be greeted with the same glorious sight of molten cheese oozing out of the warm ham stuffing inside the juicy chicken breast, and all that golden crunchy crumb….
And to top it all off, that MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE!!!!
I think you need to change this weeks’ meal plan. Immediately. 😂 – Nagi x
More crunchy crumbed chicken
Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders and also the Parmesan version
Oven Fried “KFC” Chicken Tenders (11 secret herbs & spices!)
Crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast – LOW CARB marvel!
And more baked crunchy crumbed things
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Watch how to make it
In the video, I demonstrate how to make one breast using each crumbing method: Super Easy and Quick Dredge. The recipe makes 2 chicken breasts using one of these methods.
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Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
Breadcrumbs
- Panko breadcrumbs – 1/2 cup for Super Easy or 1 cup for Quick Dredge
- Oil spray
Chicken
- 2 small chicken breasts, around 6-7oz/180-210g each
- Salt and pepper
- 4 slices swiss cheese (Note 1)
- 4 to 6 slices of ham, about 2.5oz/75g (Note 2)
Method 1: Super Easy
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Method 2: Quick Dredge
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp plain flour
Dijon Cream Sauce (makes 1 cup)
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour
- 1 1/4 cups milk (Note 3)
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan).
- Spread panko breadcrumbs on a baking tray and spray with oil. Bake for 3 minutes or until light golden. Remove and scrape into bowl straight away.
- Cut a pocket into each chicken breast, as per the photo below.
- Fold the cheese in half and place 2 pieces inside each pocket. Do the same with the ham. Close the pocket, seal with 2 toothpicks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Super Easy Method
- Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread onto the top and sides of the chicken (not underside).
- Sprinkle panko over the chicken, using your other hand to press the breadcrumbs onto the side of the chicken. Spray with oil.
Quick Dredge Method
- Whisk egg and flour. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then into the panko breadcrumbs. Transfer to tray, spray with oil.
Baking
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and just cooked through. Remove toothpicks, serve with the Dijon Cream Sauce.
Dijon Cream Sauce
- Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add half the milk and whisk until the flour mixture is blended in.
- Add remaining milk, mustard and cheese. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened. It will thicken as it cools.
- Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chicken.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Flashback: before he knew how to swim – looking out longingly at all the ducks teasing him mercilessly, wiggling their tails and flapping their wings…..
Made this last night .. it was delicious and the sauce was to die for. Will definitely do it again.
LOVE HEARING THAT Paul! N x ❤️
Hi Nagi,
I was thinking of making this tonight for dinner, but all I have on hand is Edam or some older Havarti cheese.
Would either of these work as an acceptable substitute?
Thanks,
Tamara
Made this and it was a hit for my us & guests! Making it again tonight for more guests! Very easy recipe and so yummy!
That’s so great to hear Yvonne!! Thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Nagi,
Do I bake the chicken cutlets at 180 or is that just for the Panko bread crumbs?
I can’t wait to try this tonight!
Thanks, Diane
I’m planning on making the dish but have no Dijon (when my jar of French’s runs out, it’s the replacement) so I was glad to hear that it IS possible to made a tasty sauce with the substitution. Thank you for the inspiring post.
Hope you love it! N x
Hi. So my husband and I are visiting his cousin for a week and we while grocery shipping last night we bought boneless and skinless chicken thighs. They aren’t exactly as big as chicken breasts, but we have quite a bit that came in the package. Doing everything according to the recipe, how long do you think I should cook it for, or do you think the 30 minutes would be enough? I just checked the weight of the package, and it measures at 3 pounds.
Hi Allie! If they are not quite as big as breasts, I think 25 minutes will be enough 🙂
I am going to make this for our Easter Dinner –coming home from church doesn’t give me time to do a turkey so this will be perfect.
I will need to make a couple of large trays to get 25. How deep does the pan need to be and I what is the best way to tell if they are done since I am making such a large amount. The cooking spray is that a non stick spray ?
Hi La Cole! I use canola or even olive oil spray 🙂 The chicken is cooked when the internal temp is 165F/75C using a meat thermometer – just stick it in the flesh, not into the ham/cheese part. The pan doesn’t need to be deep, it just needs to be a tray. Hope that helps!
The directions say to seal with toothpicks. Silly question – at what point do you remove them – after baking?
No silly questions around here! 🙂 Yes please remove them after baking! N x
Hey Nagi,
Silly question, but can I use French’s yellow mustard instead of Dijon?
Not a silly question at all! The sauce colour will be different but should taste pretty similar! 🙂 N x
Thanks Nagi! Ended up buying Dijon hehe cause I wanted to make it exactly how you did it. As always, your recipe did not disappoint!! We loved it!! I think this is the first time ever that my chicken didn’t come out dry and the crust was successful. You are a cooking genius. I can’t believe I was able to make successful and delicious Cordon Bleu !!!😃😃thank you!
PS: I used the short cut method and it turned out great !!
That’s terrific to hear Jasmine!!! N x
Thank you for this recipe! I was able to serve a 24 women retreat lunch with this, the potato stacks and a garden salad using only a normal US range and three roaster ovens. The only change to this recipe was to slice the chicken to .5 cm and sandwich the protein. The reviews were nothing short of amazing. Thank you again.
Gary
I absolutely love hearing that Gary! 24 women – WOW!
How long should I cook 8 breasts for?
Thanks!
Kristen
I’m guessing an extra 7 minutes – less than 10, more than 5 minutes longer than the cook time per recipe! 🙂
I was wondering…. if I’m making 8 breasts what kind of dish should I cook it in and for how long?
Hi Kristen! Use a large baking tray and just add about 7 minutes to the bake time 🙂 N x
I’m going to make both methods for my ducklings (grandkids ) we are working on table and food manes and this will be perfect. I remember this was my first fancy meal growing up.
Your lucky grandkids! 🙂 N x
The shortcut method adds quite a bit of dijon compared to dredging. Am I supposed to add dijon to the chicken at some point when dredging?
Nope! 🙂 The dijon is used as the “glue” 🙂 The flavour mellows when baked. N x
Really looking forward to be cooking the recipes in these cookbooks! And a big thank you.
You’re so welcome Lynn! Hope you enjoy! N x
Hi! This looks great! Can you clarify when baking the breadcrumbs if the cooking spray should be applied to the pan before you put the crumbs on or after ( meaning the cooking spray is applied on top of the crumbs)? Also do you use cooking spray or parchment paper when baking the chicken breasts? Thanks so much for the clarification.
Hi Jasmine! No spray on the tray, just spray on the crumbs! 🙂 N x
I made this tonight! Between unnexpected shift swaps, cancelled baby care, and delayed baby naps, I got to dinner time without a plan and less than an hour to get it all on the table. I had all the ingredients (including using babybel cheese rounds sliced thin – they melted brilliantly) and I threw a little spinach in to increase the veggie count on the table. Paired with a zucchini and carrot salad, this meal got rave reviews. Including a quick option was so very helpful. Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so pleased to hear that Allie! But even more impressive is how you kept your cool 😅
Ok, so I’m gonna try to make this for my wife for Valentine’s Day…. I think I’m going to do both methods just for a little bit of variety. What sides can I make with this dinner? She loves salads, so I need a good salad recipe? Any suggestions would be awesome!!!!
What a lucky lady! 🙂 Personally I would do these Smashed Potatoes and as for a salad, for something fresh, I would do the Iceberg Dill Salad (which is so much more than your every day iceberg lettuce salad) or for something a bit different but still fresh, the Lemon Parmesan Cabbage Salad (leave out the chicken) because it is a restaurant recipe, or for something on theme, I would do the strawberry spinach salad with strawberry dressing!
https://promotown.info/crispy-smashed-potatoes/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://promotown.info/iceberg-lettuce-dill-salad/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://promotown.info/lemon-parmesan-cabbage-salad-with-grilled-chicken/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://promotown.info/strawberry-spinach-salad-with-strawberry-balsamic-dressing/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
OMG…. thank you for this. I
Can I use grated cheddar or mozzarella in the sauce
You sure can! 🙂 N x
Thank you so much for your response
I made this last weekend for my husband and brother. I used shredded mozzarella and sealed up the chicken with tooth picks like you said.
I originally debated whether or not to make the sauce…and in the end I did. So glad I did. Such a wonderful combination and massive hit.
That’s wonderful to hear Sara! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Turned out very well….thanks for the suggestion.
BTW: another suggestion…..if you don’t want so much cheese to ooze out, try placing the cheese on the ham first, fold the ham over the cheese (like a book), and place on the chicken with the folded edge of the ham, to the open edge of the chicken. that way, when the cheese melts, it stays inside instead of leaking out the open side.
Thanks for your easy method!
Ben
That’s a great tip Ben, thanks!!