Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of those go-to chicken recipes that you will keep going back to. It’s a great casserole for company and a chicken dinner that everyone will love. It has Panko breadcrumbs for that crunch and a creamy Dijon sauce that takes it over the top.
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CHICKEN CORDON BLEU RECIPE
This was one of the first meals I attempted as a newly married woman.
I had never heard of pounding chicken to make it thinner and spent a lot of time in the kitchen violently trying to pound out the chicken and roll all of the fillings up inside.
In the end, most of the cheese and filling leaked out while baking and I was left with a dry chicken breast.
I boycotted making this since that experience figuring it was way too much work for me.
You know how most things taste better when someone else cooks them? Well, this is one dish that I really enjoyed even though I cooked it myself.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN CORDON BLEU
First, layer the ham, cheese, and breadcrumbs on top of the chicken breast. Next, drizzle with the cream sauce and serve.
- First, layer a slice of ham on top of the chicken.
- Next, add a piece of Swiss cheese on top.
- Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake.
WHAT IS IN CHICKEN CORDON BLEU?
- HAM: Prosciutto can be replaced for the ham.
- CHEESE: Traditional this dish has Swiss cheese in it but you can use cheddar, provolone, or any other cheese you like.
- BREADCRUMBS: This recipe calls for Panko breadcrumbs but you can use regular breadcrumbs as well.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CORDON BLEU
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Roasted Asparagus with Browned butter
- Funeral Potatoes
- Lion House Rolls
- Broccoli Salad
WHAT ARE PANKO BREADCRUMBS?
Panko breadcrumbs are a Japanese bread crumb made from white bread. They can be found by the regular breadcrumbs at the grocery store.
OTHER CHICKEN RECIPES
- Malibu Chicken
- One-Pan Garlic Butter Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
- Blackened Chicken
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna
- One-Pan Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice
- Parmesan Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Crockpot Marry Me Chicken
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Baked Chicken Chimichangas
- Chicken Stroganoff
Ingredients
For the Cordon Bleu:
- 3 large, thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets; you will have 6 total thin chicken breasts)
- 6 slices good quality deli ham
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs, (regular breadcrumbs can be substituted)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon base, (I like Better Than Boullion)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss cheese, making sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese.
- In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top.
- Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.
- When the chicken is almost done, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly. Cook the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken base and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes.
- Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. If your sauce is too thick, whisk in some more milk. If it's too thin, simmer longer.
- Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce.
Notes
The recipe says layer the chicken, ham, and the cheese. Then it says cover chicken with breadcrumbs. Do you fold the chicken? Does the breadcrumbs go on top of the cheese? Can someone spell this out for me? Lol!
It really is so easy it seems wrong! Yes, layer the breadcrumbs on top of the cheese. No folding!!
Great tasting recipe. If anyone has trouble keeping things together toothpicks really help!
Thanks for the tip!
I’ve made this several time and this is a huge hit. The sauce is amazing and only made a few adjustments to the sauce. Added in fresh tarragon and and a small amount of horseradish sauce to give it a little kick. This is a keeper.
Very good! My family enjoyed. I sub’d the dijon mustard for honey mustard packet from fast food restaurant, and also added half a packet of ranch dipping mix powder to the bread crumbs; also sub’d mozzarella cheese for the swiss inside the chicken. Tried to make do with what I had. Turned out great!
It’s one of my favorites. Glad you liked it.
I misunderstood the layering as well and placed chicken on top of the cheese and then the bread crumbs on top of that; the cook time was about double and I covered the pan with foil once the crumbs were crisped and then took it off for the last few minutes of cooking. Super delicious and the sauce is spectacular!
I did the same thing and then added extra ham on top, then the breadcrumbs. Worked out just fine…
I just made this and it was great! I made pockets out of the ham with the swiss inside and still tenderized, rolled and toothpicked the chicken, but followed everything else. The sauce was awesome and the breadcrumbs add a nice touch. Thank you!! It was definitely easy, and my boyfriend asked me to add it to my recipe rotation!
Ooh! Glad the boyfriend approves!
THis looks delicious, I think the best thing I have had chesse sauce on is Chard, Cheese Chard and Sausages mmmmmmm
I made this tonight with smoke provolone instead of swiss and lathered with honey mustard before rolling in bread crumbs. It turned out very most and tasty. I also served loaded mashed potatoes and broccoli crowns sprinkled with dry ranch dressing and shredded cheese.
Yum. So good!
I found this recipe to be too salty (and it takes a lot for me to think something is too salty). I would suggest purchasing low-sodium ham, and putting half of a chicken bouillon cube rather than one whole one.
Hmm. Sorry! I’ve never had it too salty. Strange.
Whoa! That looks mouthwatering and really tempting! I so love the looks of it and my family would definitely love that. I’d surely give this a try!
— Sarah <3
Oh my!!!! Made this for tonight’s dinner and the hubs and kids loved it, so much that my son had two pieces. Didn’t use fresh bread crumbs but did use the Italian bread crumbs in my cupboard, I also mixed in some Italian panko crumbs which gave it extra crunch 🙂 the sauce….so yummy, we were happy campers!
Glad you guys liked it!
I use the split bone-in breasts just split just above the “ribs”, stuff as in boneless recipe very easy and the bones add flavor I also remove any skin to cut down on fat
I am trying this for dinner tonight. Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of his favorites so I am trying to score some points! It looks delish!
Good luck!
I stumbled across this recipe yesterday, already having dinner planned out, and quickly decided to make this instead because it looked so good. I got deli ham, but I did not like the taste of it. Is there a certain type or brand of ham you use? Or should I use fully cooked ham? I’m determined to try this another time, because everything else was great, especially that sauce! Thanks again!
I really like Boars Head ham or Costco’s ham slices. You definitely want a ham that you like or it could ruin the whole dish.
Thank you! I made this tonight, exactly as written, and it is a winner! I never tackled Chicken Cordon Bleu before because it always looked complicated. But this was so easy! Thanks again!
This turned out fantastic! Thanks for the recipe, I can not wait to make it again. I used panko for the bread crumbs and that was the only variation.
Panko crumbs are great too! They give the perfect crunch.
I made Cordon Bleu for dinner tonight for my Dad and I. The sauce was the perfect accompaniment!!! Thanks for the great recipe! I can’t wait to try more! 🙂
this was pretty good ill be making it again with just an adjustment on the sauce. the sauce was veeeeery salty, I had to try and tone it down quite a bit… i baked the chicken and ham a little bit first before adding the cheese and breadcrumbs after seeing comments that the crumbs burnt for some people
This is delicious!!! I have made it several times and it’s a family favorite! I wrap the ham on the outside of the cheese though, and occasionally will use Kraft fresh takes bacon and cheese breading. I also use a knorr Bernaise sauce packet instead of the sauce in this recipe. I follow the directions on the packet and add a tbsp of Dijon and some Parmesan cheese. This is my families #1 favorite meal! It’s so easy!! Thank you!!
My husband likes KFC ONLY, not anymore.
Hi, I’d like to make this for a large dinner party and I’m wondering if I can start this ahead of time. Maybe the night before? If so, up to what step would you recommend? Thank you!
Yes, Definitely make it the night before and stop right before the bread crumbs because they can get soggy. You could make the sauce ahead of time but it thickens up in the fridge so you could heat it back up and add milk to thin it out.
Thank you so much! I did a test run today & everybody thought the chicken was AMAZING! The sauce came out a bit salty. I’m thinking maybe it was my ingredients; not all brands have the same sodium content. So I’m just gonna omit the salt the night of the dinner party. Thanks again for the yummy recipe & your quick response! =)
This is one of my husband’s favorite dishes! I don’t make the Parmesan-Dijon sauce instead I make Parmesan-Garlic mashed potatoes or Parmesan Roasted Potatoes and a veggie. I have substituted the Swiss cheese with provolone and colby-jack and it’s still excellent. Thank you for such an easy wonderful recipe.
I have never actually been motivated to comment on a recipe before. THIS WAS EXCELLENT! Much less greasy than versions I have tried before. I made it for a birthday dinner, but it is easy enough to make on a regular weekday. Thank you. Cordon bleu is back on the menu at my house.
Woo-hoo!
I’ve been trying to make this for years, but everything always leaks out. ( Joy of Cooking says you can deep fry it, maybe that would seal it up, haven’t tried that yet ) I’m going to try your way. Thank you for sharing!
Have made this dozens of times since I first saw this on pinterest! It is so easy and turns out amazing every single time! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
the picture with this recipe looks like it was hammered and rolled up. Just doesn’t look like it was baked in the way you describe in your recipe. I want to make this for my daughter’s birthday dinner and I have never made this before. Does the chicken curl up while it bakes or what?
Not at all. This picture is just of a thicker chicken cutlet that’s why it looks almost rolled. This recipe works best with thin pieces of chicken layered. No rolling.
Hi, I’m making this tomorrow, so just add chicken, cheese, and breadcrumbs on top, you don’t roll or need tooth picks or anything?
no rolling!
I followed your recipe to the tee and it did not work. Cheese just melted right off of the chicken. Then I tried the cutting a pocket that worked but can’t get enough cheese into chicken to even taste it. I think I give up on chicken cordon Bleu. And my hubby and I love it so much but I just don’t know what else to try. I’m handicapped and work hard to cook my hubby of 32 years nice meals. I feel bad that I can’t make these turn out correctly. Any advice would be nice.
Cheryl,
I’m so sorry. I’ve never had the cheese melt right off the chicken. Was it thick sliced cheese? I’m not sure why it would do that?
I just made this, and that Dijon Parmesan sauce was TO DIE FOR!
Thank you! I’ve made this twice now and it’s been a huge hit with the entire family. I had a bag of bread scraps in my freezer from making fun sandwiches for my daughter all year. Couldn’t stand wasting the scraps, but had no idea what I was going to do with them. I put them in my baby bullet and stirred until I had fine bread crumbs. Then I put them in a skillet and toasted until lightly brown. Melted the butter right in the pan with them and topped my chicken. This was easy to put together and even my toddler devoured half a piece. Oh, and the sauce, oh my goodness the sauce. It would make ANYTHING taste amazing.
So glad you liked it!!
I have 2 quick questions, can you use american cheese instead of swiss and spicy brown mustard instead of dijon? Love the blog and can’t wait to make this tonight!!
Louise,
Sure. Classic Cordon Bleu has Swiss but cheddar would be great as well. The spicy brown mustard I think would be good too but definitely spicier!
what temperature do you cook the chicken at?
At 350 degrees…
I only used your Dijon-parmasen sauce for my usual cordon bleu and it was DELICIOUS!!!! I even poured some atop baked potatoes…. Again delish! I am definitely going to try your version next time and can’t wait to try out another recipe on your website!
Just to let you know that most grocery stores I know Kroger’s does will run your chicken through a cuber thinning it out for you to make it easier to roll this is one of my families favorite meals.
I found these on Pinterest and made them for my husband and I last night. They were so unbelievably good and easy, too! Thanks so much, I will definitely be checking outyour other recipes and will be making these again soon!
This is excellent! I make it all the time and everyone loves it!
This was fabulous. Super easy to make and the husband was a fan (and graciously ate the leftovers for 3 meals straight). It’s a repeat recipe for sure, but next time I think we’d be able to make do with about half the cheese sauce.
I am a vegetarian making this recipe tonight for my meaty boyfriend. I am very excited to be making it and even blogged about it. Of course I gave you a shout out and included your photo. Thank you so very much! I am looking forward to hearing about how delicious it is 🙂
Ooh! You are a good girlfriend.
Made this the other night without the sauce (didn’t have all the ingredients). Usually when I make something new from a recipe I found, my husband is skeptical. Well, after eating this we decided this recipe is a keeper. And so easy to make! Maybe next time I will make the sauce to go with.
Oh yes, the sauce makes it!
Easy,pleasey…great alternative to pounding and wrapping…as traditional recipie calls for.
I’ve always told my husband that if he wants chicken cordon bleu for dinner he’ll have to order it in a restaurant. I can still see my mother-in-law pounding chicken breasts on the counter with juice flying everywhere. So unappetizing… I love how simple these are!
Man can cook! I have made Cordon Bleu as a “date sealer” since my youth. Never though,with fresh breadcrumbs. Always used the Italian seasoned. Will be trying your twist tomorrow. My personal twist is adding a layer of spinach making the dish “Florentine”, many seem to enjoy the added flavor dimension. Love the blog! Phil
These were delicious! Wouldn’t change a thing. I did have to bake them on a baking sheet. The 9 x 13 pan was not big enough. I used panko bread crumbs with the butter. Thank you sooooo much for your yummy recipes! Marilyn
Oh Christy, I must tell you that this recipe was absolutely fantastic! I almost resorted to purchasing one of those premade cordon bleu chickens in the meat department of my grocery store but really wanted to try this recipe since I had all the ingredients. So glad that I did. Will definitely be making this again, with more cheese!
Also, I used panko crumbs and it was really yummy, will try regular ole breadcrumbs next time 🙂
@Angie,
Oh I just use the stuff in the green can too! Works great!
Saw this recipe on Pinterest and just had to try it. Thanks for such a great easy cord on bleu. The sauce is the best!
I had all of the ingredients for this on hand, so I made it for dinner tonight. It was fantastic! I will be making it again soon for sure. I do have a question, what kind of Parmesan did you use? We happened to have fresh grated Parmesan at the house, but could the kind in the green can work in the future? Thanks!
Angie
made this for the family tonight. they LOVED it. even my little guy who doesn’t like anything lol.
thanks!!!
@Autumn,
Thank you so much for the feedback! Glad you liked it. It’s one of my go-to meals.
I made this last month for a group of friends and they were so impressed. They had no idea that it could be that easy and retain all of the flavors of the dish without them melting out during the cooking process! Definitely a keeper. Great recipe!
I just found your blog and OH MY GOODNESS you have some amazing stuff!! I just made this tonight and it was delicious!! My whole family LOVED it. I agree with you, when someone else cooks things just taste better but I throughly enjoyed eating this as much as I enjoyed making it! thank you!!
We love Cordon Bleu and this looks affordable. TFS, excited to try it this week! XO
Made this tonight and it was great! I came home a little later than usual and wasn’t feeling great- but I was excited to try this. Even by making fresh bread crumbs it was still super quick and pretty easy overall. The husband liked it too! Thanks for a delicious recipe!! 🙂
I made this tonight AFTER going grocery shopping (which usually I give up cooking after a long shopping trip) I started it at 6:45PM and finished by 7:30 PM! It’s soooo easy and delicious!!! I went to the deli counter and ordered the cheese thinly sliced and a wonderful bone in ham slice thin it cost me just over $1.00 for the cheese and less than $3.00 for the ham! SO affordable. I definitely making this again and adding it to my “monthly meal” stack of recipes! mmmm!!! thanks!
@ashley,
It might be confusing! Sorry. Start with 3 breasts and cut them in half so that you have 6 breast in your pan and then layer each of the 6 breasts. Do not put a chicken breast on top. Hope that helps.
I think I am reading too much into this… I dont understand the layers? So, you cut 3 breasts in 1/2 so you have 6 pieces. Then you put 3 in the bottom of the pan, layer with cheese and ham, then the other 1/2 of the chicken on top? or is it just chicken with cheese and ham on top? It says it serves 6…but you only have 3 chicken breasts to begin with?
Those look good! So simple and yet so tasty!
Christy! How funny to get your site from Pinterest and think “Hmmm that girl looks like we were in CS together”. And lo and behold it’s one and the same. So impressed with all you’ve done on here. And so excited to find a new food blog 🙂
Um yum! My kids and hubby loved this last week, it’s in the oven again right now! Love it!
@Anonymous,
You are absolutely right. It doesn’t say to roll it up because you leave it flat and layered. Way easier and tastes the same!
Thank you for clarifying that . I didn’t understand. Making this tonight!
No problem.
I don’t understand how, if the chicken is laid flat, it appears in the picture to be rolled up or higher than something that is flat. It looks as big as a chicken thigh. (I’m planning on trying this for the first time tomorrow.)
Sorry. It is just the angle. It is flat but is a thick piece.
It doesnt say anywhere to roll the chicken up. Do you leave it flat or roll the chicken up after you layer it with the ham, or do you layer it with ham and cheese? Thanks!
@Candace Duffy Jones,
Did you make sure your chicken breast was sliced thin? It definitely should have been cooked after 35 minutes. Sorry. Not sure what happened?
I’m making this for dinner tonight. I’m so excited! Thanks for sharing.
I cooked this but the chicken was still very raw in the middle, so I cooked longer and the cheese and bread crumbs ended up burning. I couldnt even taste the cheese.
These look absolutely delicious! : )
This looks delicious! I always forget about how delicious chicken cordon bleu is – I love it!
Wow, what a lovely recipe! This is one of my husband’s favorite meals and I think we’d both really enjoy your recipe. I’m going to try it soon. Thanks for sharing!
This looks SO yummy! I will definitely be making this for one of our family’s holiday parties!
Mmmm… I love chicken cordon bleu. When I make it, I don’t pound the chicken or butterfly it, I cut a pocket in the chicken big enough to fit a stick of mozzarella cheese (string cheese) wrapped in ham. This way I only have one hole to close and it has never leaked on me! Oh, and your food site is great! I used to live with your sister in law Kristy back in her Oregon State days and I love how you both have food blogs!
I think I could make this! AND the boys would like! Thanks! 🙂
This is in the oven for dinner tonight. It looks great, smells great, and I can’t wait to eat it 🙂 Thanks!!!
I just had to say that those are amazing pictures. The chicken looks good too! 🙂
I remember drooling over this over on Mel’s blog but haven’t made it yet. I think I am going to have to change what I had planned for dinner and make this tonight!
Lovely, lovely pictures, Christy! So glad your family loved this one…
I love chicken cordon bleu! Yours looks so much more yummy than mine 🙂
Definetely trying this one!
My husband loves Chicken Cordon Bleu. He ordered it on our honeymoon and then he bought it from the Schwanns delivery guy our first year of marriage but I’ve never tried making it before. But this looks so good and easy. I am going to give this a try 🙂
I just found your website, and I am in love 🙂 THANK YOU! So excited; where have you been all my life?! HA!
I made your recipe for the poppyseed chicken last week, and it was such a hit! This looks just as delicioius. I will have to try this soon! Thank you for sharing.
Oh this looks yummy. I actually have never made cordon bleu but had played with other stuffed chicken recipes.
Oooh, this looks good! I need to try it for sure. I always keep my old bread, heels, etc in the freezer for when I need fresh breadcrumbs. You are right – the fresh ones are amazing!
Thank you for reminding me about this! We had this at our wedding and it’s one of our favorite dishes but I suppose the time involved has put it on the back burner. Time to bring it to the fore front again!