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My favorite Chicken Cordon Bleu includes rolled up layers of ham and Swiss cheese with a crunchy coating, topped with a simple sauce. Don't miss my trick for how to roll chicken cordon bleu without toothpicks!
If you love fancy dinners that are EASY to prepare and impress, try my Braised Short Ribs, Chicken with 40 Cloves Garlic or Baked Salmon.
I'm so excited to show you how EASY it is to make Chicken Cordon Bleu ! This recipe is inspired by the method by husband grew up eating, which includes crushed cornflakes as the coating. It's absolutely delicious and I especially love that I can make it ahead of time, for company.
How to make Chicken Cordon Bleu:
Prep chicken breasts. Use a sharp knife to cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to create two chicken breast halves (or buy already cut chicken breast halves). Place between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound them into thin, even pieces (be careful not to pound so hard that the meat tears.).
Top with ham and cheese. Top each pieces of chicken with a slice of ham and a ham handful of shredded cheese.
Roll each up tightly into a bundle, tucking the sides a little, and place on a small square of plastic wrap (this is my trick for how to roll chicken cordon blue tightly, so it stays and doesn’t require toothpicks).
Wrap the chicken bundle up tightly in plastic wrap, pinching the excess plastic on the sides to create a tootsie-roll shape. Twist and swing the ends to create a firm chicken roll (watch video below, for reference).
Refrigerate the wrapped chicken bundles for at least 30-minutes or up to one day in advance, or freeze for up to 3 months..
Add breading: Dip the chicken bundles in melted butter, and then into the cornflake crumbs (you could also use breadcrumbs), pressing lightly to help the crumbs stick to the chicken. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake on the center oven rack for about 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (160 degrees F on a thermometer inserted into the chicken, not the filling.)
Top with sauce. Make the sauce by stirring the mayo and mustard together. Taste and add more mustard, as needed, to taste.
Variations:
- Cheese: The most popular type of cheese to use when making chicken cordon bleu is Swiss cheese and I love the way it pairs with the ham and chicken. HOWEVER, feel free to substitute any other cheese and I have no doubt the results would be equally as delicious!
- Cornflakes: regular breadcrumbs, Panko, crushed ritz crackers would also work.
- Sauce: I use a very simple sauce for my chicken cordon bleu; mayonnaise and mustard mixed together. This is how we enjoy it in our family, but here is a more traditional chicken cordon bleu sauce recipe if you prefer.
Serve with:
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To make ahead: Prepare the recipe through step 4 (wrapping stuffed chicken breasts and placing them in the refrigerator). Store for up to one day and prepare as directed.
To freeze: Prepare the recipe through step 4 and place wrapped chicken breasts in a freezer safe container or ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and continue with step 5 of the recipe.
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Chicken Cordon Bleu
Equipment
- Rolling Pin , or mallet
Ingredients
- 8 thin slices ham
- 8 oz Swiss cheese, sliced or shredded
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, , about 2 pounds
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups corn flakes cereal, , crushed (or substitute breadcrumbs)
- 6 Tablespoons butter, , melted
For the sauce:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 teaspoons yellow mustard, , to taste
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Use a sharp knife to cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to create two chicken breast halves. Place the chicken breast halves between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound them into thin and evenly (be careful not to pound so hard that the meat tears.).4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Top each pieces of chicken with a slice of ham and a ham handful of shredded cheese. Roll tightly, tucking the sides a little, and place on a new piece of plastic wrap.8 thin slices ham, 8 oz Swiss cheese
- Wrap the chicken tightly in the plastic wrap, pinching the excess plastic on the sides to create a tootsie-roll shape and twisting them to create a firm chicken roll. Refrigerate the wrapped chicken bundles for at least 30-minutes or up to one day in advance.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from fridge, unwrap and season with salt and pepper. Add cornflakes to a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Add crumbs to a shallow dish or pie plate. Melt butter in a separate shallow dish.salt and freshly ground black pepper, 3 cups corn flakes cereal, 6 Tablespoons butter
- Dip the chicken bundles in melted butter, and then into the cornflake crumbs, pressing lightly to help the crumbs stick to the chicken. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Bake on the center oven rack for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (160 degrees on a thermometer inserted into the chicken, not the filling.)
- Make the sauce by stirring the mayo and mustard together. Taste and add more mustard, as needed, to taste.1 cup mayonnaise, 1-2 teaspoons yellow mustard
Notes
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- Cheese: Usually chicken cordon bleu is made with Swiss cheese, and I love that flavor combination. If you want to use a different cheese, feel free to swap it for any other cheese and it will still be delicious!
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- Cornflakes: Swap it out for regular breadcrumbs, Panko, crushed ritz crackers, or gluten free breadcrumbs.
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- Sauce: If you want a more traditional chicken cordon bleu sauce recipe feel free to make it! In my family, we love the simplicity and flavor of mixing mayonnaise and mustard together.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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To stuff Chicken breasts without pounding them:
For a simplified method of making this recipe, you could take the whole chicken breasts and cut slit in the side to stuff with ham and cheese.
I originally shared this recipe October 2018. Updated March 2020 and September 2021.
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I love chicken cordon Bleu. I have made it with multiple different recipes. This is the best cordon Bleu I’ve ever made, by far. I used thin sliced black forest ham, boneless skinless chicken thighs, and I added dabs of cream cheese into the cheese layer. I also don’t like putting toothpicks in so I followed the wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, and it worked great.
My family absolutely loves this version of chicken cordon bleu. It is always a hit, and we made it again to celebrate the 200th meal plan.
One of the best Chicken Cordon Bleu recipes that I have tried. It is very straightforward, simple, and DELICIOUS 😋
This is the best chicken cordon bleu I’ve ever made. Such a fancy supper and so easy to make.
Love the “Tootsie-Roll” wrap method that kept everything inside. For extra measure I added 2 toothpicks through the plastic wrap after it was refrigerated and then cut away the plastic before dredging. Easy. I also used half a slice of cheese instead of shredded. Less ooze!
I love this recipe it was delicious I use two chicken breast cut in half with a piece of ham and sliced Swiss otherwise I followed the recipe. I will definitely make it again. This recipe is a keeper rolling up the chicken and placing it in the fridge. did the trick very little cheese melted out. I dipped it in the mayo topping Delish.
How do you keep the cheese from running out of the chicke?
Use our wrap method with the plastic wrap, folding the ends of the chicken in, and the cheese should be tightly secured inside.
I would like to find out if I could prep UP TO just before the baking, then freeze them to cook later.
I’ve been looking for a Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe to simply defrost in a refrigerator and bake in the oven…
Thank you in advance!
Absolutely! You can definitely prep the Chicken Cordon Bleu up to just before baking and then freeze them for later. Once you’ve rolled the chicken, wrapped it in plastic wrap, and refrigerated it, you can transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag instead of baking. When you’re ready to cook them, just defrost them in the refrigerator overnight and then bake as directed. It’s a great way to have a delicious meal ready to go when you need it!
Is the calorie count per chicken breast? I made them last night with my granddaughter they were delicious.
Excellent— husband still thanking me 5 hours later! Great instructions— very easy to make.
Couldn’t find the video??
Hey! Sorry about that! You can watch it here https://youtu.be/d1cDq7dJERc?si=LriZF0NG1P9OFlFX
Wow & Amazing! I made this recipe as is. It’s so good! 😘. My husband went back for more. It’s worth the little effort!
I had not made CCB for over 20 years. Its so simple! And good.
I have now made these twice. First time was following your directions exactly. Was so impressed how easy you made it and how great it tasted.
Second time I added some teriyaki baste inside to try. That was very good as well.
Recipe is spot on. Thanks for sharing!