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Learn how to make restaurant-quality chicken cordon bleu at home with this easy-to-follow recipe.
Tender chicken breasts rolled around savory ham and melty Gruyère cheese, coated in buttery panko, and baked until golden and crisp—that’s chicken cordon bleu. It’s one of those dishes that looks and tastes like something you’d order at a nice restaurant, but it’s totally doable at home with the right technique. The biggest challenge is keeping the cheese from leaking out during baking. I’ve got a simple trick for that: wrap the cheese in ham before rolling it up in the chicken.
While the chicken bakes, I whip up a simple Dijon cream sauce that really takes the dish over the top. This chicken cordon bleu recipe is a wonderful choice for holidays or special occasions, and although it takes a little extra effort, it’s the kind of dinner you’ll be so proud to serve.
“This recipe is outstanding! The sauce is absolutely delicious, a big hit with the entire family!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Chicken breasts: Use large boneless, skinless breasts that can be sliced in half horizontally and pounded thin. Avoid thin-sliced cutlets, which are usually too small to roll around the filling.
- Black Forest ham: Thin slices are easiest to fold around the cheese and help keep it from leaking out during baking.
- Gruyère cheese: My first choice for its rich, nutty flavor and smooth melt. Emmenthal or Swiss cheese also work well.
- Panko, butter, and Parmesan: The combination creates a flavorful, golden crust without frying.
- Flour, eggs, and Dijon mustard: The flour and egg help the breadcrumbs adhere, while a little mustard adds flavor to the coating.
- For the sauce: Shallots, chicken stock, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, Parmesan, and thyme come together in a quick, creamy sauce you can make while the chicken bakes.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu
Slice and pound the chicken: Halve the chicken breasts horizontally into flat fillets. Place each fillet in a freezer bag and pound to an even ⅛ to ¼-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. This both tenderizes the chicken and makes it easy to roll.
Create the ham and cheese packets: Place a heap of shredded Gruyère in the center of each slice of ham.
Fold the ham over the cheese, starting with the sides and then the top and bottom. This encases the cheese within the ham, forming neat packets that keep the cheese contained as the chicken bakes.
Assemble and roll: Lay each piece of chicken on a piece of plastic wrap and season with salt and pepper. Place a ham and cheese packets on top of the seasoned chicken.
Roll the chicken, enclosing the ham and cheese packet tightly. Wrap the chicken tightly in the plastic wrap, twisting both ends to form a log-like shape. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day to help the bundles hold their shape.
Bread the chicken: Set up a breading station with three shallow bowls: flour in the first, beaten eggs and mustard in the second, and panko breadcrumbs mixed with butter, Parmesan, and seasoning in the third.
Remove the plastic wrap from the chicken cordon bleu rolls. Gently dredge each roll in the flour, coating evenly all around. Dip in the egg/mustard mixture, then dredge in the panko.
Bake: Place the breaded chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until lightly golden and cooked through.
Make the sauce: While the chicken bakes, cook the shallots in butter until softened, then stir in the flour. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, followed by the cream, seasonings, mustard, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Simmer for a few minutes, until thickened, then stir in the thyme.
Serve: Slice the chicken if desired and serve with the sauce.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing Instructions
Make ahead: You can assemble the chicken rolls up to 1 day in advance. Keep them tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. If you’d like to bread them ahead, do so no more than 3 hours before baking, and refrigerate uncovered to help keep the coating crisp.
Storage: Refrigerate leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 325°F oven, loosely covered with foil, until heated through. The sauce can be refrigerated separately and gently reheated over low heat, adding a splash of chicken stock or cream if needed.
Freezing: You can freeze the assembled, unbreaded chicken rolls for up to 3 months. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before breading and baking as directed.
Video Tutorial
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ lbs/680 g)
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 4 thin slices black forest ham
- 1 cup (4 oz) shredded Gruyère, Emmenthal, or Swiss cheese
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
For the Sauce
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons minced shallots, from 1 to 2 shallots
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups chicken stock (or broth)
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried)
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Slice and pound the chicken: Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally to make 4 fillets. Working one at a time, place each fillet in a resealable freezer bag and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin to an even ⅛- to ¼-inch (3- to 6-mm) thickness.
- Season the chicken: Place each fillet smooth side down on a 12 x 16-inch (30 x 41-cm) piece of plastic wrap, positioned horizontally. Season the rough sides with ½ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper, divided evenly among the fillets (you'll use about ⅛ teaspoon salt and pepper for each piece of chicken).
- Make the ham and cheese packets: Place ¼ cup (30 g) shredded cheese in the center of each ham slice. Fold the sides over the cheese, then fold the top and bottom to enclose it completely. Place seam-side down.
- Roll the chicken: Place a ham and cheese packet near the end of each chicken fillet closest to you. Roll the chicken tightly around the filling, tucking in the sides as you go. Wrap each roll snugly in the plastic wrap, twisting the ends to form a compact log. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Prepare the breading: Set out three large shallow bowls. Place the flour in the first. Beat the eggs and mustard in the second. In the third, combine the panko, melted butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- Bread the chicken: Remove the plastic wrap from the chicken rolls. Dredge each roll in the flour, coating evenly; dip in the egg mixture; then coat with the panko mixture, turning and patting gently to help it adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake the chicken for about 25 minutes, until lightly golden and cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before serving.
For the Sauce
- While the chicken bakes, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.
- Gradually stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream, salt, pepper, mustard, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the thyme, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Serve the chicken with the sauce. If slicing into pinwheels, use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to avoid disturbing the delicate breading.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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What to Serve with Chicken Cordon Bleu
Since chicken cordon bleu is a bit of a project, I like to keep the rest of the meal easy. For a holiday dinner or special occasion, I’d serve it with creamy make-ahead mashed potatoes and French green beans. Roasted asparagus is another great option, especially in spring. For dessert, something you can make ahead, like chocolate mousse or crème brûlée, would be perfect.
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This was amazing. Hubby said it was the best thing I’ve ever made. It was very good and didn’t leave us feeling heavy or bloated after.
can these be frozen after assembling the chicken but before breading them? Love your recipes!!
Hi Elaine, I haven’t tried it, but I think you could.
This is one of those nights where my husband and I sit and look at each other after we have made a recipe of yours, with no words to describe how wonderful it is. This chicken recipe was outstanding. We have a friend who just had a knee replacement so I’ll take her a dinner tomorrow. We share a lot of your dinners with other people who aren’t able to cook for themselves. Again , I can’t believe how wonderful your recipes are. I’m starting my third binder I have at least made 150 of your recipes, Everyone better than the next. Thank you for coming into our lives, as my husband and I have a new hobby cooking your recipes!
❣️
We have a saying in our family, if we say something is good while eating it ,we call it tooting our own horn. At dinner the night this was made we all said it was time to toot the horn.
I placed sauce on each plate then added the chicken and a rice bled on the sauce and served it with the remainder of the sauce for those who wanted more sauce. It was a delicious Sunday dinner.
This recipe was so good. My family is already asking for it again. Thanks for another great recipe!
Delicious! Very impressive techniques and I recommend prepping the chicken and ham packets the day prior to cooking. Adding Dijon mustard to the eggs and melted butter to the Panko/parmesan dredge is genius!!! A special entree worthy of company!
Made these last night, easy to make and the family agreed, absolutely the best we’ve ever tasted!
Thank you 😊
I love your recipes!!
Hi Jen, love your recipes, I wonder if you’ve ever pan seared these first in some olive oil/butter blend before finishing in oven. I find breading does not crisp up well and has a “raw” taste to it when baked. How would the cooking time be adjusted so as not to overcook the chicken?
Thanks for your kind words – so glad you like the recipes! These are a little delicate before they’re baked, so I don’t recommend searing them. Rest assured, though, the breading does crisp up nicely in the oven. Hope it comes out nicely!
I have leftover prosciutto from a charcuterie board. Would that work in lieu of the ham, do you think?
Hi Trish, I haven’t tried it but think it should work. Enjoy!
Another home run from Jen! Grating the cheese and encasing it in the ham was such a great tip- I’ve always had the issue of the cheese melting and running out the sides. Also loved the idea of mixing 1 tbsp Dijon mustard with the eggs for the coating, I’d never heard that before. I did add a little bit more Dijon to the sauce but that’s just my preference- would not change one thing about this recipe. Thank you again for sharing your recipes, tips and tricks with us!