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
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Chicken
- Chicken Piccata
- Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken
- Chicken Alfredo Bake
Full Recipe Instructions
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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Scale: servings
Kitchen Tools
Ingredients
Chicken Cordon Bleu
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ 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 ¼ 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 ½ 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 ¼ 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 2018 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don't worry - the recipe hasn't changed!
Vickie
Not bad. I’m wondering if a little dill would be better than Tyme for the sauce? I thought it was a bit overpowering
Irene Rock
Very good and easy
Nicole
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!
Susan B.
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,
Tracy Wimberly
I made this in a dairy free and gluten free version. It was AMAZING!
lynn
wonderfully messy(lol) and totally Delicious!
relatively easy to prepare
like the sauce and would be good on just about anything
Ken Wicks
Made this tonight..... delicious !!! The sauce was a fantastic compliment for the chicken and was so easy.... thank you so much for a wonderful recipe !!
Neal
Absolutely delicious! Have been making this for years. Threw your recipe at my son,( first semester culinary student). And he nailed it! Always enjoy your recipes and feedback. Like many others, never have been a big fan of thyme. But there’s so many herbs I have just experimented over the last few decades till I found a combination everyone enjoys. Without a doubt one of my favorite sites to visit. Thank you for your commitment and passion for food.
Krissy
Wow. Well you just made my day! Thank you so much for just a lovely compliment. I appreciate it more than you know! -Krissy
Erika
Admittedly, I only made the sauce but it was really yummy. I've never had a dijon parmesan sauce but I'm a fan. I made it for coworkers and everyone seemed to enjoy it
Robin
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amzing! A little messy but super easy.
Nicole
This looks amazing!! Yum. Can't wait to try!
Merri
Made this last night and it was a huge hit!
Rebecca
I made this dish today for dinner and it turned out exactly as it should have.
I personally didn't care much for the sauce and my boyfriend didn't like it at all.
I think maybe the amount of them the recipe calls for in the sauce is why we didn't care much for it. Maybe use less like a half teaspoon if you don't care for that herb.
Fumbles
Made this last night and it was a huge hit. The sauce was even nicer when my daughter re-heated it a few hours later. Thank you for this recipe.
Mildred
looks so good and I can;t wait to make it! THank you!