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Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dijon Cream Sauce is an easy dinner you family will love.
Tender boneless skinless chicken breasts are pounded thin, stuffed with swiss cheese and ham, coated with a parmesan bread crumb herb mixture, and then baked to perfection. They are smothered in a flavorful cream sauce creating the perfect dinner!
Why this recipe works:
Everyone loves a good home cooked chicken dinner recipe, and this is not only easy to make, but it looks quite impressive!
- This recipe is RICH. Not only are you enjoying melted cheese inside the chicken, but you are smothering it with a heavenly dijon cream sauce.
- Because the chicken is pounded thin, it cooks evenly and is perfectly fork tender. No knife required!
- The ham adds a smokey and salty flavor that really adds balance to the recipe.
- The delicious sauce is made while the chicken is baking so that everything is ready to serve at the same time.
Here’s how to make the chicken:
- First you’ll need to tenderize and flatten the chicken breasts to a uniform thickness.
- Place the ham and Swiss cheese on the prepared chicken.
- Roll the chicken breast with the ham and cheese inside.
- Secure with toothpicks.
- Next step is to coat the stuffed chicken breast. Dip the stuffed breasts in flour, then egg, then a bread crumb and parmesan mixture.
- Final step is to bake to perfection!
How to make the Dijon cream sauce:
- While the chicken is cooking, you’ll combine flour and butter in a saucepan to create a roux. Then, as with most every cream sauce, you’ll add milk and cook until it thickens to a thin gravy.
- You’ll finish the sauce off by stirring in some parmesan cheese and dijon mustard.
Cooking tips:
- Tenderizing the chicken breasts: You can do this by butterfly cutting the breast meat, however I prefer to pound the chicken flat because it further tenderizes the meat. Place the chicken in between two sheets of plastic wrap to minimize the mess.
- Assembling the chicken: The cheese will melt out of the chicken while it bakes. To minimize this, you can wrap the cheese in the ham prior to wrapping it inside the chicken.
- Substitutions:
- Prosciutto can be used in place of the ham. It is thinner and easier to work with plus it adds a fantastic smokey flavor, but it can be more expensive.
- Any kind of cheese can be used in place of the Swiss. Provolone or mozzarella would both melt nice and look similar, but due to the unique flavor of Swiss cheese, they won’t taste the same.
What to serve with this dinner:
Since Chicken Cordon Bleu with cream sauce is a rich and decadent meal, I highly recommend serving with a nice green vegetable on the side. Here are some of my favorites:
Related recipes:
Love easy chicken breast recipes? Here are some you should try!
- Perfect Chicken Parmesan
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Chicken Divan
- Chicken Marsala
- Blackened Chicken Alfredo Recipe
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Chicken
- Chicken Piccata
- Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken
- Chicken Alfredo Bake
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Pin ItChicken Cordon Bleu Recipe
Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dijon Cream Sauce is an easy dinner you family will love. Tender boneless skinless chicken breasts are pounded thin, stuffed with swiss cheese and ham, coated with parmesan and bread crumbs, then baked to perfection. They are smothered in a flavorful cream sauce creating the perfect main dish!
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Ingredients
Chicken Cordon Bleu
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- 4 slices of ham
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Dijon Cream Sauce – makes 1 cup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme Fresh thyme is best. If using dried, reduce amount to 1/2 teaspoon
- Salt and pepper as needed
Instructions
To make the chicken:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare breadcrumb mixture by combining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and melted 1 tablespoon butter. Set into a shallow dish and set aside.
- To prepare 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, flatten to a uniform thickness of 1/4 inch by smashing with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin in between two sheets of plastic wrap. Layer the 4 slices of ham on top of the 4 slices Swiss cheese and roll them up tightly. Cut and divide the ham and cheese rolls evenly so that there is one for each chicken breast. Wrap the flattened chicken breast around the ham and Swiss rolls and use toothpicks to secure.
- Add the beaten 1 egg to a shallow dish and also place the 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour into a separate shallow dish. Set aside.
- To prepare the chicken to bake, dip each stuffed breast in the flour (shaking off any excess), then coat it in the beaten egg mixture, then press all sides firmly into the breadcrumb mixture to fully coat.
- Set the prepared chicken on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
To make the sauce:
- While the chicken is baking, make the dijon sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the 1 tablespoon butter. Add the 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour to the melted butter, whisk, and allow to cook for several minutes while continually whisking to avoid burning. Once the flour has started to cook, whisk in 1 1/4 cups whole milk . Continue to heat until the milk bubbles and begins to thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve:
- Pour warm sauce over chicken breasts. Stuffed breasts are usually large enough such that a half of a breast is plenty for one serving.
Notes
Cooking tips:
- Tenderizing the chicken breasts: You can do this by butterfly cutting the breast meat, however I prefer to pound the chicken flat because it further tenderizes the meat. Place the chicken in between two sheets of plastic wrap to minimize the mess.
- Assembling the chicken: The cheese will melt out of the chicken while it bakes. To minimize this, you can wrap the cheese in the ham prior to wrapping it inside the chicken.
- Substitutions:
- Prosciutto can be used in place of the ham. It is thinner and easier to work with plus it adds a fantastic smokey flavor, but it can be more expensive.
- Any kind of cheese can be used in place of the Swiss. Provolone or mozzarella would both melt nice and look similar, but due to the unique flavor of Swiss cheese, they won’t taste the same.
Nutrition
Calories: 472kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 150mg, Sodium: 889mg, Potassium: 463mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 715IU, Vitamin C: 1.5mg, Calcium: 459mg, Iron: 1.9mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave me a comment below
This recipe was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don’t worry – the recipe hasn’t changed!
What temperature should you bake the chicken?
The complete recipe directions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Temp should be 350°F.
Just added a little mozzarella cheese to the sauce cause my family likes that cheese in a sauce. This will be made again
Simple to make as long as you set everything up, it smells great. Still in the oven.
Not bad. I’m wondering if a little dill would be better than Tyme for the sauce? I thought it was a bit overpowering
Very good and easy
Very good!! I only had dried thyme so I added 1/2 teaspoon instead of 1 teaspoon. Still a little strong so I’d add less next time or use fresh. I also added a splash of the white wine I was serving with it. DELISH!
This was by far the best Chicken Cordon Bleu I have ever made. My husband could not stop raving about it! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, I will be making this for years to come,
I made this in a dairy free and gluten free version. It was AMAZING!