Chicken Cordon Bleu
Everyone needs a great, easy chicken cordon bleu recipe like this one. The chicken is juicy, and the bread crumb is delicious.
I’ve always struggled in the past to make chicken cordon bleu turn out edible-looking.
I flatten my chicken breasts (usually too much so that there are holes and it is paper thin), layer the cheese and ham inside and then I begin the process that makes me want to pull my hair out.
With icky chicken covered fingers, where some people can finish with a neat little bunchle, my chicken cordon blue’s are lumpy and punctured with 23 toothpicks to keep everything together. Not some of my finest cooking moments.
Thankfully Cook’s Country came out with a clever version of how to stuff this classic dish and it peaked my interest.
The shredded swiss cheese is rolled up in ham slices and then gently tucked inside a pocket cut into the chicken.
The chicken is crusted in buttery bread crumbs and crackers and baked perfectly.
For once – my cheese didn’t erupt into a volcanic mess on the baking sheet. It stayed put just where it needed to be – inside the chicken and the result was perfection. I can honestly say can honestly say it is the only way I make classic chicken cordon bleu. I just love this dish so, so much. So traditional; so delicious. The chicken is tender and juicy, the crunchy bread crumb crust is delicious and the ham and Swiss are just epically cordon bleu.
FAQs for Chicken Cordon Bleu
I would freeze it after you’ve breaded it, mostly just to save time.
I don’t flatten it – I stuff the ham and cheese into the little pocket of the chicken breast.
What to Serve With This
Two Years Ago: Unbelievable Carrot Cake
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
- 25 Ritz crackers, regular or whole wheat
- 4 slices hearty sandwich bread, white or whole wheat
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 8 thin slices deli ham, about 8 ounces
- 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
- 4 thick boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds total (see note)
- Salt and pepper
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pulse the crackers and bread in a food processor until they are coarsely ground. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until the ingredients are incorporated. Transfer the crumbs to a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the crumbs are lightly browned. Transfer the crumbs to a shallow baking dish (a pie plate works great!) or leave them on the pan and scoop them together into a low mound. Reduce the oven temp to 400 degrees F.
- Top each ham slice with about 1/4 cup shredded cheese. If your ham slices are too small, shingle two ham slices on top of each other to create a larger slice and roll the cheese up in that. Roll tightly and set aside. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Following the pictures below, cut a pocket in the thickest part of the chicken breast and stuff each pocket with 2 ham/cheese rolls. Pull the top flap of chicken over the rolls and press to seal (you can use a toothpick to gently secure the pocket edge, if you like). Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the stuffed chicken, covered, for at least 20 minutes.
- In another shallow dish or pie plate, beat the eggs and mustard. Place the flour in a final shallow dish. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Working with one stuffed chicken breast at a time, coat the chicken lightly with flour and then dip in the egg mixture, covering both sides. Dredge the chicken in the toasted bread crumbs, pressing lightly to help the crumbs stick to the chicken. (The breaded chicken can be refrigerated covered for up to 1 day.)
- Transfer the chicken to a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet. Make sure an oven rack is in the center of the oven. Bake the chicken until golden brown and cooked through (160 degrees on an thermometer inserted into the chicken, not the filling), about 25-30 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: slightly adapted from Cook’s Country April/May 2010
To stuff the cordon bleu, start with your thick chicken breast and have a sharp knife handy.
Cut into the thickest part of the chicken breast to make a deep pocket. Be careful not to cut to far over to the edge that needs to stay intact. The opening of the pocket should be three to four inches.
Place two of the ham and cheese rolls gently inside of the pocket.
Make sure the rolls are completely inside of the chicken.
Fold the top flap of the chicken over the ham and cheese rolls and press to seal (or use a toothpick to help things along). Now bread and bake according to the recipe directions!
Since we don’t keep Ritz crackers in the house, I used panko. Could only fit one piece of proscuitto wrapped around a slice of provolone in each. Took chicken gravy out of fridge (left over from another dish last week) since my husband usually likes some sort of sauce/gravy. But, he put it away unused. Yummy!
My husband who willingly eats everything I make but is stingy with his compliments said, “That was excellent! Let’s make these again!’. I agree, they WERE really good. I was out of swiss so I subbed monterey jack and pepper jack. I will be putting these in our rotation.
Hi Mel, I found your blog a number of months ago. I first made this for a Christmas dinner for 4 people and was great as I made verything ahead of time, Love this recipe Mel! It is definitely a favourite for sure.
Thanks so much, Jacquie!
The breadcrumb recipe is well worth the effort. These turned out very good. Will make these again.
Will definitely make it again. Did everything just as the recipe says (no flattening) and the chicken was very tender and flavorful.
May I suggest an editorial correction?
“Thankfully Cook’s Country came out with a clever version of how to stuff this classic dish and it >>>piqued<<< my interest.”
Peaked: to reach apex or maximum as in, “my interest peaked and then diminished afterward.”
Piqued: to stimulate interest or curiosity.
Really?♀️ Z
Just amazing. A little bit of labor but totally worth it. And it’s really not that much work.
I make this a lot, but use a seasoned Panko. I also add some Avocado oil to the Panko, along with some garlic powder and sea salt. I also use different kinds of cheese sometimes to mix it up a bit. Provolone with swiss and ham is great, so is Harvarti with Swiss. The one step that is crucial to make the chicken nice and tender, is to flatten quite well with a meat mallet. Did I miss that in your instructions?
I don’t flatten it – I stuff the ham and cheese into the little pocket of the chicken breast.
Love this recipe. We’ve made it at least 6 times. Always an enjoyable meal!!!!!
I made this tonight and it turned out great! Love the bread crumb recipe and the dijon mustard in the egg mixture. Definitely a keeper.
Looks like a wonderful recipe that I would definitely like to try. However, I have Celiac and wondered if it would be possible to make this gluten free. Bread and flour not so much a problem because I do have GF bread & flour but no sure about a good substitute for Ritz crackers. Ant thoughts?
Thank you,
Terry
I am planning on trying gf pretzels
Corn flake crumbs work awesome…….
This is beyond fabulous!! My family loved it. So incredibly tasty & big & beautiful to serve. Thx, Mel!
This was so good! I used pepper jack cheese…the pre-sliced kind, and used one slice per chicken breast. Half a slice folded in half long wise and rolled into the ham. It was easier than using shredded cheese and was just enough cheese without being too too cheesy. Thank you for the great recipe!
What a great recipe! I made this and your roasted asparagus (as well as baked Yukon Gold potatoes) for New Year’s Eve and my family loved it! Not hard to make either. Was a perfect meal to end 2015!
My husband requests cordon blue for every Christmas, but this year I do not want to spend Christmas Day cooking all day. So my question is, can I make this now and freeze until ready to thaw in fridge the day before? And should I freeze before or after putting the bread crumbs on? Thanks in advance!
I would freeze it after you’ve breaded it, mostly just to save time.
I made this for my father-in-laws birthday and everyone raved about it. I served it with steamed broccoli and Ellis stansel white rice and it was delish. It was an easy recipe with big flavor plus the chicken was so moist and tender. Thanks Mel!
did this recipe say whether we should cover when baking? I read and re-read and could’ve still missed it. thanks
The chicken bakes uncovered.
Ladies,
It is really simple to flatten chicken. Just lay it on the cutting board with the under side of the chicken UP and shiny side DOWN. Place a piece of saran wrap over it, and gently flatten, and it WILL cooperate. The reason it isn’t working for you is you are pounding the shiny side with the mallet instead of the under side. 🙂 Give it a try!
Yum. We all loved them, even my picky eater ate every bite. (In fact, he tried beets tonight. A little supper miracle.) Thanks for your photo tutorial on how to make them.
They turned out great.
Hi M., can’t wait to prepare your chicken cordon bleu for a second choice of Christmas dinner dish. Do you have suggestions for a cream sauce for the chicken. Thanks,.
Hi Pauly – the cream sauce from this recipe would work great:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/06/chicken-cordon-bleu-the-easy-way.html
Oh my gosh, why haven’t I thought of this! Now I won’t get the dreadful ooze and all the “delish” is lying on the outside instead of inside. I am definitely going to try this and surprise my daughter with her creamed spinach filling!
i am attempting this tonight. i am not a good cook i hope it stays moist as my chicken breast are very thick.
Like others, I’ve never had success with making this the traditional way. This recipe was wonderful! No runny cheese at all. It took a little practice to get the hang of rolling the ham so it was tight but all in all, it was fairly easy. I also made the Parmesan Cream Sauce which everyone loved.
I didn’t say that quite right. I would assemble the day ahead and start to cook about 1 hour ahead of dinner.
Hi Carol – I think assembling the chicken cordon bleu the day before would work just fine. You may not even need to add any extra time (just check it well or use a thermometer to check for temp).
Making dinner for 35 people, buffet style. Thought I would do this (after a trial run). Plan is to make day ahead and cook extra 5-15 minutes as your other chicken cordon blue recipe suggests.
Was going to make your Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce also. Any suggestions…I have a double oven to cook and chaffing dishes to keep warm.
This chicken was AMAZING!!! I followed the recipe to a “T” and it was soooo incredibly fantastic!! Everyone loved it, my kids couldn’t get enough!
Made this for Easter dinner with the Chantilly potatoes per your suggestion. It was excellent as always, but I did feel like it was missing a little something… maybe the swiss I got was too blah, or maybe I should have salted the chicken more. But it really was a clever way to contain the cheese! One thing… I used even larger chicken breasts (2.5#/4) and my chicken was done (DONE! I checked several places and even cut one open!) in only 15 minutes as opposed to 25-30! Crazy! I have no idea how it cooked so fast. Luckily I rely on a thermometer instead of a timer and I recommend others do the same.
P.S. I love that tip about using a spaghetti noodle instead of a toothpick. I used toothpicks and once they got battered over I couldn’t get them out. Had to warn everyone to keep their eyes peeled.
Chicken? LOVE IT!! Cheese? Bring it on!! Ham? DUH!! How can you go wrong with chicken cordon bleu…..I use panko bread crumbs if I don’t have intalian bread crumbs on hand. Now, “I feel like chicken tonight”
Great recipe. I made these for book club and they were a hit. I followed your recipe exactly. As I was preparing the chicken breasts, it seemed like an enormous quantity of bread crumbs, but it was just right. The chicken was wonderfully tender – the cooking time and temperature were perfect. And the hint of dijon mustard was excellent. And the best part of all – you can make them ahead! Thank you.
Mel,
Sorry I did not want to seem rude…I forgot to say I just came across your website, I love it! Great job.
I am so upset I can’t get the chicken with no leaks even with that pocket.
I don’t understand how everybody is doing this. When ever I make a pocket, matter how careful I am it always slices through the other side. I have used large breast, maybe if I buy a boning knife, I don’t know.
I made this last night and it was AWESOME. I am not a cook by any means, but I followed your directions and not only was it easy but it tasted GREAT! My husband was impressed 🙂 Thank you!!
Another great recipe from Mel. I used Panko breadcrumbs and made the dijon parmesan sauce that’s on the easy recipe version. I also used dried spaghetti noodles to close the chicken up in lieu of toothpicks. You didn’t notice when they were cooked and didn’t have to fuss taking the toothpicks out. Great recipe. Made 2 more batches and froze them for another day.
Just made this last night. I don’t know if chicken breasts are bigger in the States than here in Canada, but I had a really hard time fitting 2 ham rolls into each breast. Toothpick was definitely needed. Also, using the bread in the coating made everything really clumpy and messy looking, so next time I make this I will probably use the Ritz crackers and Corn Flake crumbs or something. It tasted great though, but definitely did not look as pretty as it does in the recipe photos! Will for sure make this again.
I just made this at home for dinner. It was my first attempt at Cordon Blu and every one was happy with the results! This recipe was super easy. Its a definite keeper!
I tried this recipe for the first time and it came out great!Plump,juicy,and crisp!,but I would like to try it without the 6 Tbs. melted butter.I bet it would be just as good if I sprayed the breasts with a drop of canola oil so it crisps.Thanx,Eli
this recipe is so yummy!!! My family loved it! I’m making it again tonight! thank you!
Hi Erin- I’ve never measured exactly but I’m guessing it would probably be about 3/4 cup of bread crumbs.
Do you know about how many cups of bread crumbs 4 slices would make? I have bread crumbs in a bag in my freezer, but I’m not sure how many slices that is.