Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dijon Cream Sauce
Chicken cordon bleu baked with a golden panko crust, layers of ham and Swiss, and a creamy Dijon cream sauce. A classic dinner worth the effort.
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Chicken cordon bleu sounds like restaurant food until you make it once and realize it’s chicken, ham, cheese, and breadcrumbs. Pounded chicken breasts get layered with deli ham and Swiss, rolled up tight, coated in buttered panko, and baked until the crust is deep golden and the cheese inside has gone molten. A Dijon cream sauce goes over the top at the end.
Pounding the chicken to an even quarter inch is the step that decides whether this works. A thin, even piece rolls without splitting, cooks through before the crust gets too dark, and holds the filling in a tight spiral. Leave a half-inch border of bare chicken around the ham and cheese so the melted Swiss has somewhere to stay instead of running out the ends.
Baking these means no splattering oil and no standing over the stove flipping delicate rolls. Drizzling melted butter over the panko before the pan goes in the oven gets you the same crunchy golden crust the fried version has, on a sheet pan you can walk away from for half an hour.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe
- A crust that actually crunches. Buttered panko browns in the oven the way fried breading does, with none of the mess.
- Melty Swiss in every slice. Two slices of cheese per roll means it’s still stretchy when you cut into it.
- A creamy Dijon sauce. Heavy cream, broth, and mustard make a sauce that comes together while the chicken bakes.
- You can build them ahead. Roll and bread them in the morning, keep them covered in the fridge, and bake at dinnertime.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Ingredients
Use panko, not regular breadcrumbs. Panko is coarser and stays crunchy through 35 minutes in the oven, while fine breadcrumbs pack down and turn pasty once the chicken releases its juices.
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 thin slices deli ham
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan, divided
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tbsp butter, for the sauce
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, for the sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Recipe Variations
- Swap the Swiss for provolone or gruyere; gruyere is nuttier and melts just as well.
- Use thinly sliced smoked turkey in place of the ham if that’s what’s in the deli drawer.
- Skip the sauce and serve the rolls with lemon wedges instead for a lighter, brighter plate.
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Heat the oven and flatten the chicken: Heat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Lay each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Season both sides with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper.
- Layer and roll: Lay 2 slices of ham and 2 slices of Swiss on each flattened breast, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around. Roll each one up tightly from the short end, tucking the sides in as you go, and secure the seam with two toothpicks.
- Set up the breading: Line up three shallow dishes: the 1/2 cup flour in the first, the beaten eggs in the second, and the panko stirred with 1/3 cup of the parmesan, the garlic powder, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in the third.
- Bread the rolls: Roll each chicken bundle in the flour, then the egg, then press it firmly into the panko mixture on all sides. Set them seam side down on the baking sheet and drizzle the 3 tablespoons melted butter evenly over the tops.
- Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and a thermometer pushed into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F.
- Make the Dijon cream sauce: While the chicken cordon bleu bakes, melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, then the heavy cream, and simmer for 3-4 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Finish the sauce: Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the Dijon mustard and the remaining 1/3 cup parmesan until smooth.
- Rest and serve: Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then pull out the toothpicks and slice each roll crosswise. Spoon the sauce over the top and scatter with parsley.
Recipe FAQs
Do I Have to Use Toothpicks?
They’re the easiest insurance against the roll unwinding in the oven. Kitchen twine works too, and if you chill the breaded rolls for 30 minutes first, they usually hold on their own.
Why Did My Cheese Leak Out?
Either the filling ran too close to the edges or the seam was on top instead of underneath. Leave that 1/2-inch border and set each roll seam side down on the pan.
Can I Fry These Instead of Baking Them?
You can. Sear the breaded rolls in about 1/4 inch of oil for 2 minutes per side until golden, then finish them in a 375°F oven until they hit 165°F inside.
Can I Make Chicken Cordon Bleu Ahead of Time?
Yes. Roll and bread them up to a day ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Add about 5 minutes to the bake time since they’ll be going in cold.
What If My Chicken Breasts Are Huge?
Slice them in half horizontally first, then pound each half. Anything thicker than 1/4 inch takes too long to cook and the crust gets too dark waiting on it.
Cooking Tips
- Pound from the center out toward the edges with the flat side of a mallet. Hammering straight down in one spot tears holes that the cheese escapes through.
- Press the panko on hard with the palm of your hand. A light dusting falls off in the oven; a pressed-on coat stays put and browns evenly.
- Let the rolls rest 5 minutes before slicing. Cut them straight out of the oven and the cheese pours out onto the cutting board instead of staying in the spiral.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Refrigerate leftover chicken and sauce in separate airtight containers for up to 3 days.
To freeze: Freeze the breaded, unbaked rolls on a tray, then bag them for up to 2 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and bake as directed, adding about 5 minutes. Don’t bake these from frozen: the panko goes deep golden long before the middle is done, so the crust lies to you about whether the chicken is safe. Either way, check the thickest part and don’t pull them until they read 165°F. The cream sauce doesn’t freeze well; make it fresh.
To reheat: Reheat the chicken in a 350°F oven for 12-15 minutes to bring the crust back. The microwave works in a pinch but the panko goes soft.
How to Serve Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken cordon bleu goes with buttery mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, or roasted green beans, and the Dijon sauce is good enough that you’ll want something on the plate to catch it. If you’re after a faster weeknight version, our air fryer chicken parmesan scratches a similar breaded-chicken itch. This is one of the recipes in our August collection, and more classic chicken dinners like it are on the way.
Loved This Recipe?
Chicken cordon bleu is one of those dinners that looks like you fussed, and only you have to know how simple the rolling really was.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dijon Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 2 lbs
- 1 tsp salt divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 thin slices deli ham
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan divided
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp butter for the sauce
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour for the sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oven and flatten the chicken: Heat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Lay each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Season both sides with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper.
- Layer and roll: Lay 2 slices of ham and 2 slices of Swiss on each flattened breast, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around. Roll each one up tightly from the short end, tucking the sides in as you go, and secure the seam with two toothpicks.
- Set up the breading: Line up three shallow dishes: the 1/2 cup flour in the first, the beaten eggs in the second, and the panko stirred with 1/3 cup of the parmesan, the garlic powder, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in the third.
- Bread the rolls: Roll each chicken bundle in the flour, then the egg, then press it firmly into the panko mixture on all sides. Set them seam side down on the baking sheet and drizzle the 3 tablespoons melted butter evenly over the tops.
- Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and a thermometer pushed into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F.
- Make the Dijon cream sauce: While the chicken cordon bleu bakes, melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, then the heavy cream, and simmer for 3-4 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Finish the sauce: Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the Dijon mustard and the remaining 1/3 cup parmesan until smooth.
- Rest and serve: Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then pull out the toothpicks and slice each roll crosswise. Spoon the sauce over the top and scatter with parsley.
