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!
Servings: 4 servings
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.
Video
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