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…..
This was fabulous and so easy. A million thanks!
Ooh! So glad you enjoyed this Lisa, thank you for letting me know! N x
Very good! Never made chicken cordon Bleu, and the dish was very easy to prepare, my husband loved it! Thank you for sharing!
YAY!!! So glad you enjoyed this Lisa – and thank you SO MUCH for coming back to let me know!! N x
This recipe is amazing! I was looking for something easy to make and different for dinner tonight and this was it! It’s super tasty, juicy, wonderful! I think my husband loves me even more now! Great recipe! I used cheddar and toothpicks (that was the only cheese I had in fridge) and also honey mustard instead dijon. It turned out fantastic! 🙂 Thank you Nagy for sharing this recipe with the rest of us!
Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed it Summer!! I’m SO GLAD you liked it! N x
*Nagi. 🙂 Sorry.
No worries hun. You should hear people trying to PRONOUNCE it!!! Te he!!
Just made this tonight after an exhausting outside work day. It was easy & delicious!! Hubby said it was excellent!!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it Connie! Thank you for letting me know! N x
Made this last night and my husband says its the best Chicken Cordon Bleu he’s ever eaten!!!! (YAY THUMBS UP TO ME)
This is great and does taste like it was fried the old fashioned way…I would recommend this to anyone wanting a simple fancy dinner!!
WOO HOO!!! How luck is your hubby to have you!!!! 🙂
Made this for my girlfriend for her special day! We loved it! We also made asparagus wrapped with prosciutto, they went great together. Thanks for a great meal for a special day!
What a lucky girl your girlfriend is! I’m SO glad you both loved it!!! PS Prosciutto wrapped asparagus….what an accompaniment! 🙂
This recipe was so yummy, my husband raved about it. I added herbs D’ provance to the sauce. I will make this again. Thanks for the share.
So glad you enjoyed it Rona!! Love the herbs D’ provance addition 🙂
I just made this recipe, but I also stuffed the pocket with ham , cheese and spinach. I love the mustard idea, that also works well with meatloaf. My kids weren’t crazy about meatloaf, so I had to dress it up, then I found out about adding mustard from a FABULOUS restaurant in the Adirondacks. What an amazing kick it gives to meat loaf, I will never make it without it now!
Oooh! I didn’t think about using mustard for meatloaf, thanks for the idea! 🙂
This was awesome, thank you – I was at the grocery after work today thinking, “alright, I’m buying these chicken thighs, and they’ll either become some sort of cordon bleu, or else they’ll end up as some take on calabrian chicken. ” And the internet provides me with this: your super simple recipe, well written, so I could easily adapt (thighs vs breast was no issue). I went with a blender hollandaise sauce instead (mainly because I happened to have a single rogue egg yolk in the fridge that I wanted to use), and I just wanted to say, “thank you” and let everyone else who might read this how awesome and adaptable this recipe was!
YAY! Thanks Brooke! So glad you loved it!
Hi!! Came across this recipe on Pinterest this afternoon and was looking for something to make for dinner. This was sooooo DELICIOUS!!!!! My boyfriend is already asking when I can make it again! Thanks so much!! ?
WOO HOO! Yay! So glad you loved it Angela!!
I love love love this! I once made chicken Valentino with a similar sauce but as u say, it’s too time taking! Love how you thought of mayo and Panko! Genius. Going to try this.. Shall let you know how Muchh we loved it ?
Thanks for a great share Nagi and sorry I have been awol for sometime! Xo
Oooh!! Is that recipe on your site??
It is. Really bad early days post ?? I made ur chicken yday .. We loved it.so much shall Link up when I post it . Thanks .. N that sauce!! ??
I feel you, some of my best recipes are the earliest ones I did and they photos are awful!!! But SO YUMMY!!! 🙂
How much of this could be done ahead of time for a party?
For ex. could the chicken be fully prepared and kept in refrigerator for several hours before baking?
Can the sauce be cooked and refrigerated and then reheated for serving?
Thank you.
Hi Peggy! I would put it together and coat with the mayo mixture but I wouldn’t crumb it until just before baking. I’d worry it wouldn’t be crispy enough 🙂
I made this last night and it was delicious. Thanks so much!
WOO HOO! So glad you loved it Ann! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know! N x
Instead of baked, can I deep fried or pan fried it? Thank you
Hi Christine! Sorry, the way I’ve done this particular recipe, it is best baked. 🙂
Hi Nagi, how would the cooking process change if I used boneless chicken thighs instead?
Hi Melanie! Thighs in Australia are typically smaller than chicken breasts so they will cook in around 20 minutes. My only concern is making sure the thighs are thick enough to cut a pocket to stuff with ham and cheese. 🙂
I made this last night and it was FANTASTIC. I couldn’t believe that a recipe so easy was going to be so delicious. I served mine with a simple side salad. Thank you Nagi for the wonderful recipe, I am hosting a dinner party this weekend and am going to whip this one up.
thanks again!
I’m so glad you loved it Amaris! And even MORE chuffed that you think it’s fancy enough for a DINNER PARTY!!! 🙂 N x
Your Cordon Bleu recipe was great, however, I thought there was something missing from the Dijon Creamy Mustard Sauce. And I still don’t know what it was?
I haven’t made this recipe yet, but just by looking at the ingredients, I wonder if a squirt of fresh lemon juice at the end would brighten the flavor for you.
Definitely wouldn’t hurt! 🙂 Lemon isn’t a traditional ingredient in Cordon Bleu but it will certainly add to it!!
Hi Frasnk! So glad you loved the Cordon Bleu! 🙂 I’m sorry you thought the sauce was missing something. Did you remember to add salt? I find the sauce is so delicious I could drink it straight!! Actually, I always use leftovers to dunk toast into 🙂
Small chicken breasts are so had to find and when they come two to a package I swear one is big and one is small. Go figure! Either way this sounds totally fab and that sauce sounds pretty darn delectable!
I have that problem all the time!!! What is with that? 😉
When the breasts are so big I just cut them almost in half, I cut the tip part a bit bigger since the other half is so thick. You could pound the thicker part a bit to make it flatter…
That’s a great tip Cathy, thank you! 🙂 N x
Oh my word! This looks INCREDIBLE! I have GOT to try. Gorgeous step by step pics too!
Thanks so much Jessica! Sorry I haven’t been around to visit lately, I’m popping over now to check out what you’ve been up to! <3
Wow, you made it so easy for everyone. Chicken Cordon Bleu is my husband’s one of the favorite chicken dishes. I am pinning this recipe to try out to see how he likes it. Thanks!
I will keep my fingers crossed that he approves! 😉 N