Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe with Sauce

Pouring parmesan dijon sauce made from a roux over chicken cordon bleu

Crispy on the outside and filled with nutty cheese and salty ham on the inside, this delicious Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe with sauce is a must-try dinner.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword baked, breaded, cheese sauce, chicken breasts, chicken cordon bleu

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Refrigeration Time 30

Total Time 1 20

Servings chicken breasts

Calories 793kcal

Author Isabel Laessig

Equipment

Ingredients

For the chicken cordon bleu:

4 chicken breasts
8 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices thinly sliced ham
salt and pepper
2 beaten 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

Baking Chicken Cordon Bleu

Preheat oven to 350°F. Tip ¾ dry breadcrumbs onto a baking sheet, and spread them out evenly. Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. At the 5 minute mark, stir the breadcrumbs.
Pat 4 chicken breasts dry, then place them on a sheet of plastic wrap and cover them with another sheet of plastic wrap on top. Use a meat mallet or a rolling pin to pound the chicken breasts flat. You can also butterfly them by cutting them in half horizontally if you prefer. Once flat, season on both sides with salt and pepper.
Lay out the flat chicken breasts side by side, and top each one with a layer of 2 slices of Swiss cheese, then a layer of 1 slice of ham. You will need a total of 8 slices Swiss cheese and 4 slices thinly sliced ham.
Roll up each breast into a pinwheel with the cheese and ham on the inside.
You need 3 large shallow bowls. Place ¾ cup of flour in the first dish, 2 beaten 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.
Preheat the oven to 350°F when ready to bake. Unwrap the chicken and place on a baking tray. Bake for 35 minutes, or until chicken is piping hot and cooked through.

Creating the Cordon Bleu Sauce

While the chicken bakes, place a small pan on medium-low heat. Add 4 Tbsp. butter and allow to melt. Once it melts, add ¼ cup flour and stir into a paste.
Slowly begin adding the 1½ cups 2% 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 the sauce simmers, remove from the heat. While the sauce is still hot, add ½ cup grated Parmesan and stir in until it melts and the sauce is smooth.
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

Recipe Tips:

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.

Nutrition