Chicken 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 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:

1. First you'll need to tenderize and flatten the chicken breasts to a uniform thickness. 
2. Place the ham and Swiss cheese on the prepared chicken.
3. Roll the chicken breast with the ham and cheese inside.
4. Secure with toothpicks.
5. Next step is to coat the stuffed chicken breast. Dip the stuffed breasts in flour, then egg, then a bread crumb and parmesan mixture.
6. Final step is to bake to perfection!

How to make the Dijon cream sauce:

1. 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.
2. 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:

• Wilted Garlic Spinach
• Garlic Parmesan Oven Roasted Asparagus
• Roasted Green Beans

Related recipes:

Love easy chicken breast recipes? Here are some you should try!

• Perfect Chicken Parmesan
• Lemon Pepper Chicken
• Chicken Divan
• Chicken Marsala
• Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta
• Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Chicken
• Chicken Piccata
• Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken
• Chicken Alfredo Bake

Chicken 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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RECIPE VIDEO WILL AUTOPLAY

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Hover to scale: 4 servings

Author: Krissy Allori

Ingredients

Chicken Cordon Bleu

• ▢ 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• ▢ 1 teaspoon herbs (choice of garlic herb blend, thyme, etc)
• ▢ 1 tablespoons 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 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 breadcrumbs, parmesan, herbs, and melted butter. Set into a shallow dish and set aside.
• Prepare egg and flour needed for dredging by putting each in a separate shallow dish. Set aside.
• To prepare chicken, 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. For each breast, set 2 pieces of swiss cheese wrapped in two pieces of ham in the center of each flattened breast. Wrap the chicken around the ham and swiss and use toothpicks to secure.
• To bake, dip each stuffed breast in flour, then egg,  then press both sides firmly into the breadcrumb mixture to fully coat.
• Set on parchment lined baking sheet and bake in 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 butter. Add the 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 milk. Continue to heat until the milk bubbles and begins to thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in dijon, parmesan, and thyme. Add 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 INFORMATION

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

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This recipe was originally published in September 2014 and has been updated with helpful information and cooking tips. Don't worry - the recipe hasn't changed!