Oven Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu is a fancy-sounding dish that’s actually easy to make at home.

In this recipe, tender chicken breasts, smoky ham and swiss cheese are rolled jelly roll style and baked in the oven until the chicken is tender and juicy.

To make it extra special, it’s served with a simple creamy Dijon sauce.

Chicken Cordon Bleu is a fancy-sounding French dish that’s surprisingly easy to make at home. “Cordon Bleu” translates from French to blue ribbon.

This dish is made with chicken breasts filled with ham and Swiss cheese and then breaded and fried or baked.

It’s easy to make with simple ingredients.
This recipe is oven-baked to make it easy.
The Swiss cheese can be replaced with your favorite.
This chicken cordon bleu recipe can be made ahead of time and baked before serving.

What You’ll Need To Make Cordon Bleu

Chicken: Choose smaller chicken breasts if possible (around 5 to 6 oz) so the rolls don’t get too big. Pound the chicken to ½-inch thick using the flat side of a meat mallet.

Ham: Thin slices of deli ham are the easiest to roll, but leftover baked ham can be used in for cordon bleu as well. If using leftover ham, it can be diced or thinly sliced. Substitute ham for prosciutto or smoked turkey if you’d like.

Cheese: Swiss cheese is the traditional choice for cordon bleu. Swap out the Swiss for provolone (slightly tangy) or even cheddar cheese!

Breadcrumbs: I prefer the finer crumbs of seasoned breadcrumbs for a light, even coating. You can replace it with seasoned Panko breadcrumbs or use a combination.

How to Make Seasoned Bread Crumbs

To make bread crumbs, run dry bread through a food processor. If you have regular bread crumbs or Panko crumbs, they can be seasoned by adding 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon parsley and a pinch of oregano.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce

This cordon bleu sauce recipe is an easy homemade Dijon cream sauce. It’s simple to make with of Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and parmesan cheese.

Not only does this sauce pair well with my chicken cordon bleu recipe, it’s also great on veggies.

How to Prepare Chicken for Rolling

Place a boneless skinless chicken breast on a cutting board and cover it with plastic wrap (to keep the juices from splattering).
Use the flat side of a meat mallet or tenderizer and gently pound the chicken to ¼-inch thick.

If the chicken breast is really thick, you can butterfly it open before pounding.
Be firm but gentle when pounding so the chicken thins out but doesn’t get damaged or fall apart.

process of adding filling and breading Chicken Cordon Bleu

chicken cordon bleu rolled and ready to bake in a white dish

How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu

Prepare the chicken breasts (above). Layer the ham and Swiss cheese on each breast.
Roll each chicken breast jelly roll style. Roll the chicken in melted butter and then seasoned breadcrumbs.
Bake per the recipe below. While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce.

Voila! A fancy restaurant meal that really is easy to make at home. I love to serve Chicken Cordon Bleu with a fresh side and either mashed potatoes or rice. Add steamed or roasted vegetables like broccoli, green beans, or asparagus.

Overhead shot of two plates of Chicken Cordon Bleu served with rice and green beans

This baked chicken cordon bleu recipe can be made ahead of time. Feel free to double the recipe to feed a crowd.

Roll and dredge the chicken breasts according to the recipe below. Place them on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Store the prepared cordon bleu in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Bake as directed, adding 5 minutes to the baking time.

Storage and Leftovers

Store leftover chicken cordon bleu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat in the microwave to heat it through and then lightly pan fry it to crisp the outside. Leftover cordon blue can also be reheated in the air fryer at 320°F for 13-18 minutes.

Savory Stuffed Chicken

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Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu easy to make with tender chicken breasts stuffed with layers of ham and Swiss cheese.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Place the chicken breasts in between two pieces of plastic wrap and, using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, pound to ¼-inch thick (*see note). Season with ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
Top each chicken breast with 1 slice of ham and about 1 oz cheese. Roll the chicken jelly-roll style. Secure with a toothpick.
Combine melted butter and garlic in a small dish. Mix breadcrumbs and thyme in a separate bowl. Dip each chicken roll in butter and then into the breadcrumb mixture.
Place in a baking dish and bake 35-40 minutes or until the chicken reaches a internal temperature of 165°F.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add in milk and wine a little bit at a time stirring after each addition until the mixture is smooth. Add in Dijon, bouillon and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil while whisking and reduce heat. Simmer for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the toothpicks from the chicken. Serve immediately with the sauce.

Preparing The Chicken: If the chicken breast is really thick, you can butterfly it open by cutting it in half across the breast to form two smaller cutlets. Be firm but gentle when pounding so the chicken thins out but doesn’t get damaged or fall apart.
Swap out the boneless skinless chicken breasts for chicken cutlets. Cutlets will be smaller than whole chicken breasts so you might like to make a couple of extra rolls.
Double This Recipe: This baked chicken cordon bleu recipe can feed as few as four or double the recipe and have a fancy dinner party for 8.
How to Prepare Ahead: Roll and dredge the chicken breasts per the recipe below. Place them on a rack on top of a baking sheet and lightly cover them with plastic wrap. Prepared cordon bleu can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. If prepared ahead of time, add 5 minutes to the cooking time.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course

Cuisine American, French

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