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This Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu has been in my repertoire for years, but instead of winging it, it was time to take notes and share my version.

My Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe is easy to make, yet elegant enough for dinner parties or special occasions. My oldest son asked me to make this for his birthday in December.

Chicken Cordon Bleu partially sliced on a white plate with carrots and a fork.
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Ingredient Notes
3 How to Make
4 Recipe Tips
5 Frequently Asked Questions
6 You May Also Like:
7 Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe

Why You Must Make

  • It sounds like a fancy, complex recipe, but this baked chicken is simple to prepare.
  • You can serve this easy chicken cordon bleu to company or on special occasions.
  • There are no hard-to-find ingredients or overly fussy instructions!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Ingredients on a sheetpan with labels.

Ingredient Notes

  • Kitchen Staples – Salt, Pepper, Butter (melted)
  • Prosciutto – May substitute any favorite thinly sliced deli ham instead.
  • Gruyere – Shredded. You may substitute any favorite Swiss cheese.
  • Chicken – Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Use a meat mallet to gently pound them so they’re quite thin, trying not to tear holes in the cutlets. If your chicken is extra thick, you may want to slice it in half horizontally making 2 thinner cutlets.
  • Seasoned Croutons – I use the New York Bakery Texas Toast brand found near the salad dressings on the store shelves.
  • Parmesan Cheese – Use real Parmesano Reggiano, not the green canned stuff.
  • Dried Thyme – Flavors the crumb-coating mixture.

How to Make

Step 1 making chicken cordon bleu
Pound boneless skinless chicken breast to a thin cutlet.
Step 2 making chicken cordon bleu
Top with a piece of Prosciutto and shredded Gruyere cheese.
Step 3 making chicken cordon bleu
Roll tightly in plastic wrap.
Step 4 making chicken cordon bleu.
Refrigerate for an hour.
Step 5 making chicken cordon bleu.
Remove plastic and coat in melted butter.
Step 6 making chicken cordon bleu.
Coat in a mixture of crushed croutons and Parmesan.
Step 7 making chicken cordon bleu.
Bake as directed.
Step 8 making chicken cordon bleu.
Serve and enjoy!!

Recipe Tips

  • You may use other varieties of Swiss cheese and ham.
  • If you’d like to top with a sauce, try a mustard mayonnaise sauce or a Parmesan cream sauce.
  • You can roll the chicken and freeze it with the filling if you want to make it ahead. Wrap in plastic and store for 1-2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before coating with crumbs.
  • You can also coat with cornflake crumbs, Panko, or Ritz cracker crumbs. Make sure to season the crumbs that are bland with some salt.
  • Invariably some of the cheese will ooze out as the chicken bakes. That’s normal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Cordon Bleu Mean?

Cordon Bleu translates to Blue Ribbon in French. This term can describe an excellent chef or a dish made with two “scallops” of chicken or veal with a slice of Swiss cheese and ham sandwiched in the middle. This combination is then breaded and sauteed.

How Do You Keep the Cheese from Oozing Out of Chicken Cordon Bleu as it Cooks?

You can try to enclose the cheese in the piece of ham, but I don’t worry too much about it. I like to nibble on that crispy cheese that’s left on the baking sheet and designate it as the cook’s reward!

At What Internal Temperature is Chicken Safe to Eat?

The USDA states that chicken should reach 165° to be safe to eat. Use an instant-read thermometer to check if you’re unsure if your chicken is done. When you slice into the chicken, it should be white without any pink raw areas and the juices should be clear.

You May Also Like:

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Chicken Cordon Bleu partially sliced on a white plate with carrots and a fork.
The Recipe:

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Yield 4

A blue ribbon entree made with chicken breasts rolled around Prosciutto and Gruyere cheese.

Ingredients

  • 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Halves
  • 4 slices Prosciutto
  • 4 ounces shredded Gruyere Cheese
  • Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
  • 4 tablespoons Butter
  • 5 ounce package of Seasoned Croutons, crushed (use food processor)
  • ¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  • ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken in a heavy-duty Ziploc bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound them into thin cutlets.
  2. Place each chicken cutlet on a piece of plastic wrap.
  3. Then, place a slice of Prosciutto, followed by about a quarter of the cheese on each piece of chicken.
  4. Using the plastic wrap, tightly roll up the chicken from one short end to the other short end, then twist the extra plastic wrap to tighten the rolls.
  5. Refrigerate for at 30-60 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to 400°
  7. Combine the crouton crumbs, Parmesan, and thyme in a pie plate (or another shallow dish).
  8. Gently melt the butter in another pie plate using your microwave. Cover with plastic to avoid splatter.
  9. Dip each chicken roll in the butter, season lightly with salt and pepper if desired, then roll in the crumbs. Place on a baking sheet.
  10. Bake for about 30 minutes or until chicken is 165° internally.

Notes

My butcher sells relatively small boneless skinless chicken breasts so I use one per serving. If yours are large and thick, it's best to use only 2 and slice them in half horizontally.

You may want to secure your rolls with toothpicks if they don't stay tightly rolled after unwrapping.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 chicken roll
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 683Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 191mgSodium: 1724mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 60g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American, French / Category: Entrees, Chicken