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Crispy on the outside, and perfectly juicy on the inside, this is the Best Chicken Cordon Bleu with creamy Parmesan sauce! Nutty cheese and salty slices of ham bake in the center of thin cutlets in this amazing recipe. All topped off with a rich and creamy sauce that takes this dish to another level!
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Best Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe
Let me start off by saying I love, love, love stuffed chicken cordon bleu. It’s elegant and delicious but not hard to make, so it’s perfect for a special meal that will impress anyone who eats it but won’t take hours to prepare.
Prep this dish in the morning, then store it in the fridge until it’s time to cook. It’s a perfect make-ahead recipe for a special holiday dinner!
I guarantee you and your family will love my recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
I made this for my family and it was pretty easy! They loved it!
Christina on Pinterest
FAQs
This amazing dish consists of chicken breast pounded thin or butterflied (cut thinly down the middle), rolled, and stuffed with Swiss cheese and ham. Then, the chicken is coated in flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, before being baked or fried.
The name is a French term meaning “blue ribbon”, but it’s actually a schnitzel recipe from Switzerland. You may even sometimes hear it called schnitzel cordon bleu!
You can serve the dish whole or cut it into slices and top with a sauce. Most recipes use Dijon, but we make our recipe with Parmesan sauce. This is what makes it over the top!
Store for 3-4 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
Creamy Parmesan sauce will get thicker as it cools. However, once returned to the heat, it will loosen up again. Add a bit more milk to smooth out the consistency when reheating, if necessary. Heat it slowly over mid-low heat on the stovetop.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce
Our sauce starts with a butter and flour mixture, also known as a roux (See: How to Make a Roux).
You slowly add milk to form a white sauce (Bechamel Sauce). After adding in the milk, you stir in cheese that melts in for a full-flavor creamy Parmesan sauce.
If you normally make chicken cordon bleu with a sauce that has a Dijon base, you need to try our version! There is nothing like cheesy, creamy sauce over stuffed chicken.
For more tips on cooking the best chicken recipes, check out my Chicken Temperature Chart complete with a cooking guide!
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Toast your breadcrumbs first. For a golden and crispy outer layer of breadcrumbs, toast them in the oven before you add them to the chicken. To do this, add an even layer of breadcrumbs to a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F. Check at 5 minutes and stir.
- Flatten or butterfly the chicken breasts. I find pounding with a wooden tenderizer or large rolling pin is easiest.
- When coating the chicken, wash your hands to remove the egg before trying to coat with the breadcrumbs. This keeps things cleaner and stops the breadcrumbs sticking to you rather than the chicken!
- Chill the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes so the shape will set and hold while cooking.
- If your sauce looks like it may form lumps, remove from the heat. Stir until smooth, then return to the heat and continue to add milk. If your sauce gets too lumpy, you can run it through a sieve and reheat it.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Cook Time
This dish takes just 35 minutes to cook but requires 30 minutes of chilling time and prep. The whole dish will take about 1 hour and 35 minutes to make.
What to Serve with Chicken Cordon Bleu
You could also try serving this up like Chicken Parmesan: on a bed of spaghetti in the creamy Parmesan sauce! Filling and super delicious!
If you have leftovers (although I doubt you will!), you can make heavenly sandwiches topped with any remaining cordon bleu sauce.
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Reviews
I made this for my husband and me and it was amazing!!!
Erica
These were great! I rolled and breaded them the day before.
Janell on Pinterest
I tried it! It came out great and will be added to our dinner rotation
Sandra on Pinterest
📋 Recipe
The Best Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe
Equipment
- Tenderizer or rolling pin
- Plastic wrap
- Baking tray
- Small pan
- 3 wide, shallow bowls
Ingredients
For the chicken cordon bleu:
- 4 Chicken breasts
- 2¼ cups Sliced Swiss cheese
- 1½ cups Thinly sliced ham
- Salt and pepper
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup of flour
- ¾ dry breadcrumbs
For the cordon bleu sauce:
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1½ cups 2% milk
- ½ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
Making chicken cordon bleu
- Tip dry breadcrumbs onto a baking tray and spread out evenly. Place in the center of a preheated oven (350° F) and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Check at 5 minutes and stir.Flatten or butterfly (cut in half horizontally) your chicken breasts. I find pounding with a wooden tenderizer or large rolling pin is easiest.Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and place the chicken breast on top. Place a second piece of plastic wrap over the chicken. Take a rolling pin or tenderizer and pound or roll out the chicken until flat.Lay out the flat chicken breasts side by side and top each one with a layer of Swiss cheese, then a layer of ham.
- Roll up each breast into a pinwheel with the cheese and ham on the inside.You need 3 large shallow bowls. Place the flour in the first dish, two whisked eggs in the second dish, and toasted breadcrumbs in the third dish.Carefully take each chicken breast and, one at a time, roll in the flour until fully coated.
- Roll the floured chicken in the whisked egg.Finally, place into the breadcrumbs and fully coat all over.
- Next, place each chicken breast onto its own piece of plastic wrap. Use the wrap to roll up tightly and seal off each end. Once sealed, roll the chicken into a nice round cylinder shape.Chill the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes so the shape will set and hold while cooking. If you are preparing the recipe in advance, you can leave it in the fridge all day before cooking.
Cordon Bleu Sauce
- Place a small pan on low to medium heat. Add butter and allow to melt. Once it melts, add flour and stir into a paste. This paste is known as a roux.Slowly begin adding the milk. Add the milk gradually and continuously stir to prevent lumps from forming.After each addition of milk, stir the sauce well. Allow it to thicken again before adding more milk.Continue to stir after adding milk until the sauce thickens. When it simmers, remove from the heat.
- While the sauce is still hot, add parmesan and stir in until it melts and the sauce is smooth.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Unwrap the chicken and place on a baking tray. Bake for 35 minutes, or until chicken is piping hot and cooked through.
- Once the chicken is cooked remove from the oven and slice. Plate up and drizzle over the creamy parmesan sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Roll out one breast at a time: We recommend rolling out just one chicken breast at a time to save space.
- Wash your hands: Wash egg off your hands before trying to coat with the breadcrumbs. This keeps things cleaner and stops the breadcrumbs sticking to you rather than the chicken!
- What to do if lumps form: If your sauce looks like it may form lumps, remove from the heat. Stir until smooth, then return to the heat and continue to add milk. If your sauce gets too lumpy, you can run it through a sieve and reheat it.
- Reheating Cordon bleu sauce: Creamy parmesan sauce will get thicker as it cools; however, once returned to the heat, it will loosen up again. Add a bit more milk to smooth out the consistency when reheating, if necessary.
- Chilling and freezing: Once the raw chicken has been prepared and wrapped it can either be chilled in the fridge for up to one day or frozen for up to 1 month before cooking. If chilled, unwrap and place in the oven immediately for 35 minutes or until cooked through, If frozen, defrost throughly in the fridge for 24 hours then cook as above.
Gillian says
Love this recipe. Had a problem with the Parmesan sauce. It calls for only 4tsp of butter. That does not seem enough butter for 1/4 cup of flour. Needless to say my sauce was very lumpy. I did put it through a sieve to save most of the sauce. It did taste very good, but I lost a lot of the sauce.
Em Beitel says
Hi Gillian! Thank you so much for your comment and for letting us know about your issue with the sauce. I double-checked and yes, you are completely right – we meant to put 4 Tbsp., not teaspoons! We’re very glad you enjoyed the recipe regardless and hope you’ll try making it again! If you do, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
Missy says
Easy to follow recipe. Feel could use a little seasoning.
Em Beitel says
Thank you, Missy!
Virginia Roney says
To freeze the uncooked chicken would I wrap the chicken in foil and placed in a freezer bag ?
Em Beitel says
Hi Virginia! Yes, that should work perfectly. Keep it wrapped in the plastic wrap to hold its shape, then wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag. Thank you for your question!