An easy Chicken Cordon Bleu which is quick to prepare, and baked rather than fried. All the flavour, all the crunch, a beautiful golden crumb, and it’s better for you!
This retro classic is here to stay – always!
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, coated with crunchy golden breadcrumbs. You’d swear it’s fried – but it’s baked.
The classic way to make Chicken Cordon Bleu involves breast pounded until thin, layered with ham and cheese, rolled into a log, chilled, dredged in flour then egg then breadcrumbs then deep fried (and you need a lot of oil to deep fry them). It’s not dissimilar to Chicken Kiev in this respect.
But phew! I got tired just typing that out!! And it’s certainly not something that I’m making tonight. 🙂
BUT – you can definitely make my Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu tonight. Because it’s just that – EASY.
How to make Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
I stuff my Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu simply by cutting a pocket into chicken breast, then stuffing it with cheese rolled up inside ham (helps stop the cheese melting out, terrific reader tip!) . Secure with toothpicks – and that’s it! The stuffing is done!
Choose your own adventure: Crumbing
Next up is the breadcrumb. I’ve got 2 methods to choose from:
Method 1: Super Easy – Smear mayo and mustard on the chicken, then sprinkle over breadcrumbs. The mayo-mustard mixture acts as glue / flavouring and oil to help make the breadcrumb toasty gold; OR
Method 2: Quick Dredge – Dunk chicken in egg flour mixture (combined in same bowl), then in breadcrumbs.
After coating the chicken with breadcrumbs, just give them a quick spray and voila! Ready for baking!
Super Easy vs Quick Dredge
Here’s a comparison of the 2 methods. There’s no denying the Quick Dredge comes out better looking, and it’s the option I’d use for company. Plus, full coating of crunch.
But the Super Easy version is just so darn quick and easy, and really, the main thing is just the absence of crunch on the underside of the chicken. Small compromise for the convenience, in my humble opinion!
Secret Tip: Oven Toasting Breadcrumbs
If you’ve ever baked something crumbed and been disappointed by how it came out pale and splotchy and/or not as crunchy as you hoped, I think you’re going to love this cheeky tip.
Just spread the breadcrumbs out on a tray, spray with oil, then bake for 3 minutes. This oven toasting gives the breadcrumbs a head start on the colour / crunch factor.
Outcome: Baked crumbed / breaded chicken that is beautifully golden all over and truly crunchy, like it was deep fried! Optional extra step, but truly worth it in my view.
PS Some recipes do this in a skillet – oven is easier. 🙂
And here’s a comparison of the Chicken Cordon Bleu with and without toasting the breadcrumbs. See how splotchy it is without the toasted breadcrumbs compared to the toasted breadcrumbs??
Whichever method you choose, you’ll be greeted with the same glorious sight of molten cheese oozing out of the warm ham stuffing inside the juicy chicken breast, and all that golden crunchy crumb….
And to top it all off, that MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE!!!!
I think you need to change this weeks’ meal plan. Immediately. 😂 – Nagi x
More crunchy crumbed chicken
Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders and also the Parmesan version
Oven Fried “KFC” Chicken Tenders (11 secret herbs & spices!)
Crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast – LOW CARB marvel!
And more baked crunchy crumbed things
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Watch how to make it
In the video, I demonstrate how to make one breast using each crumbing method: Super Easy and Quick Dredge. The recipe makes 2 chicken breasts using one of these methods.
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Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
Breadcrumbs
- Panko breadcrumbs – 1/2 cup for Super Easy or 1 cup for Quick Dredge
- Oil spray
Chicken
- 2 small chicken breasts, around 6-7oz/180-210g each
- Salt and pepper
- 4 slices swiss cheese (Note 1)
- 4 to 6 slices of ham, about 2.5oz/75g (Note 2)
Method 1: Super Easy
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Method 2: Quick Dredge
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp plain flour
Dijon Cream Sauce (makes 1 cup)
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour
- 1 1/4 cups milk (Note 3)
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan).
- Spread panko breadcrumbs on a baking tray and spray with oil. Bake for 3 minutes or until light golden. Remove and scrape into bowl straight away.
- Cut a pocket into each chicken breast, as per the photo below.
- Fold the cheese in half and place 2 pieces inside each pocket. Do the same with the ham. Close the pocket, seal with 2 toothpicks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Super Easy Method
- Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread onto the top and sides of the chicken (not underside).
- Sprinkle panko over the chicken, using your other hand to press the breadcrumbs onto the side of the chicken. Spray with oil.
Quick Dredge Method
- Whisk egg and flour. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then into the panko breadcrumbs. Transfer to tray, spray with oil.
Baking
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and just cooked through. Remove toothpicks, serve with the Dijon Cream Sauce.
Dijon Cream Sauce
- Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add half the milk and whisk until the flour mixture is blended in.
- Add remaining milk, mustard and cheese. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened. It will thicken as it cools.
- Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chicken.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Flashback: before he knew how to swim – looking out longingly at all the ducks teasing him mercilessly, wiggling their tails and flapping their wings…..
Made this the fast easy way for Valentines Day for my grownup kids. It was a huge hit! Thanks for the recipe! I always thought it was too daunting to make. I did add a little onion and garlic powder to the chicken before the mustard/mayo sauce. My only concern is how do I get the toothpicks out easily??? I flung the coating all over trying to get them out. Defined going to make this every Valentine’s Day and special occasions in the future. Thanks again.
Hi Donna – if you watch the video you’ll see that I leave the ends of the toothpicks sticking out so it’s easy to pull them out afterwards! N x
I use the longer cocktail toothpicks. They are about 3 or 4 inches.
I’ve made this twice, but eaten it 4 times. I freeze half & when I’m lazy I can have a home cooked meal. It’s delicious!
That’s a great idea Patsy!! N x
Made this and it looked great and would have tasted great except the ham. We used a packaged leg ham – no special treatment for the ham such as honey or double smoked, but it tasted awful and the flavour spread a bit through the chicken! We also wondered if the chicken was raw because the chicken closest to the ham was pink!! I tested with a thermometer and it was cooked. We suspect the ham was injected with food colouring! Anyone recommend ham for this recipe (something readily available at Woolworths or Coles in NSW).
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I used method 1, Super Easy and used black forest ham. My husband said this was a keeper.
Made this for my son in law came out great
Delicious and so easy! My husband loved it!
Excellent! N x
Has anyone made this with vigo seasoned bread crumbs
This recipe was terrific! I found trying to “stuff” the chicken breaststroke with ham and Swiss to be a bit tricky, I got them put together. I used the light dredge method with browned panko crumbs which was not only crispy and delicious but the crumbs disguised the difficulty I had stuffing the breaststroke. They looked and tasted great! I will make this again!
Easy and tasty! Everyone ate this dinner, including the picky eaters. I had no idea chicken cordon bleu was so easy to make. I will add this to the meal rotation.
It’s a classic! N x
I modified a bit.. using the dredge method. I put my favorite spices a little parm cheese and fresh squeezed garlic to the bread crumbs. I rolled the cheese and ham together and then rolled the chicken onto the ham and inserted the toothpicks.
Just cooked this for my wife and I and it is spectacular .
I jazzed it up a bit and had to adjust the temp and cook times but well worth it.
Saving the recipe !
Thank you A
Sounds like a great recipe! Why would you NOT include cooking temp and time? DUH
How rude…duh!
Hi Susan – cooking temp in Step 1 of the recipe under “Instructions” and timing in Step 1 under “Baking”! N x
The step one is the temp for toasting the panko crumbs. I knew that wasn’t right for the chicken, so I looked it up on the internet. If you have the oven temp for the chicken baking I couldn’t find it either.
It is the same temp for both. N x
We made this for Thanksgiving. This is absolutely delicious! We loved the creamy mustard cheese sauce over the top. Easy to make, and loved the video. T
This is a great and easy recipe!
The tip to toast panko crumbs before oven fry works fantastically. I had never had good results of oven fry my panko crumb coated meat but not any more with Nagi’s method. Thank you.
Made this dish tonight and I found the recipe very easy to follow. The results were fantastic and the chicken was so moist My husband loved it!! Thank you!!
They all look really good things I do want to try.
This recipe was delicious! I used the Super Easy Method and cooked the chicken in my air fryer since it is so hot here I didn’t want to turn my oven on. The chicken turned out super crispy and tasty! I served it with mashed potatoes and garlic roasted broccoli. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
So glad you shared this suggestion! I was just scrolling through comments hoping someone tried it with success.
Nagi, I love this recipe and make it all the time. Trying it air fried tonight.
‘Hi, what temp and time did you cook in the air fryer 😉
For the air fryer I cooked the chicken at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 20 minutes checking and flipping after 10 minutes.
This was delicious! I used the super easy way, and it was so easy. I added a little lemon juice to the sauce which made it taste like hollandaise. So I used the leftover sauce the next morning and made fake eggs Benedict. And that was delicious!
Great idea Crabby!!!! N x
Awesome, easy and delicious!
You never said what oven temperature you bake the chicken at?
390 30 minutes
I love your tips for the cordon bleu. I haven’t even made it yet and I am excited about it, I am going to slit the breast like you said but after I cut it I am going to pound it out a little so it cooks faster. Your tips on coating only one side with pre-toasted crumbs is brilliant. My oven baked breaded items are never crunchy enough so this will be great. Thanks!!
I made this recipe tonight for dinner. It was absolutely delicious. My husband loved it as well and said we must make this again. This is definitely a keeper.
I used the “super easy” mayo-mustard coating method and I couldn’t believe how tender and MOIST the chicken breasts were! It was amazing! I am now I convert: no more egg/milk/flour dredge for me: a good coating of mayo is what it’s all about. Thank you SO MUCH for this tip!