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Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

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An easy delicious baked Chicken Cordon Bleu with a fabulous mouth-watering Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce.

We spent the weekend celebrating my daughter’s birthday. It was a beautiful and perfect weekend with most of my “chicks” here at my Nest! Anyone who knows me, knows I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by all the “biddies” that roost on my limb of the family tree!

piece of chicken cordon blue with mustard sauce on a plate

Speaking of “roosting”…(really bad segue to chicken recipe)…one of my favorite chicken dishes is Chicken Cordon Bleu.

However, I really don’t like all the fuss of making traditional Cordon Bleu. There’s all the pounding, stuffing, and rolling (not to mention impaling your hand with the stupid toothpick!) only to watch it all ooze out during the cooking phase! It’s a time-consuming dish and I think we’ve covered the “time” topic today! 😉

This recipe bakes in the oven, is layered not stuffed, and is so quick and easy. Best of all…it’s delicious!

The Parmesan-Dijon Cream sauce makes this dish. So don’t skip the sauce! You may want to make a facial mask out of it at some point during the meal when you’re licking your plate! (That’s all I’m going to say about that!)

I found this recipe several years ago on The Girl Who Ate Everything and she found the recipe at “Mel’s Kitchen Cafe”. I love recipes that are shared and re-shared. It’s a BIG gold star for a “keeper” recipe!

How To Make Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

You will need 3 large, boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Cut chicken breast in half length-wise, to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets; you will have a total of six thin chicken breasts.

Tip: To fillet, use a sharp carving knife and slice down the center, lengthwise, from one end to the other.

Chicken breast being fillet.

Now you have beautiful chicken angel wings!  (Awwe…poor little chicken! I think I hear “taps” playing in the distance?) Okay in all seriousness…here is a photo of what your chicken breast should look like once you have them fillet…SEE…angels wings!

Chicken breast fillet

In a 9 x 13 sprayed glass baking dish, place chicken cutlet halves.

Fillet chicken breast in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Remember what I said about this being a “layered” easy Chicken Cordon Bleu? This is when the layering begins. The first layer is ham. I purchased my ham from the Deli at Walmart and I made sure to purchase a good quality black forest ham. I slice each piece in half and overlap them on top of each chicken breast.

Chicken breast topped with black Forest Ham.

Next layer is Swiss Cheese. Again purchase a really good quality baby Swiss. I cut each slice in half and placed them on top of the ham layer. I didn’t use as much Swiss as I wanted, but that’s because I didn’t have as much on hand as I thought! Since town is not a quick trip it was what it was! You go ahead and layer that cheese up!

Ham topped with slices of Swiss Cheese
Melted butter in measuring cup

It’s time for the yummy crunchy panko bread topping!  Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish. (I just use my glass liquid measuring cup.) Be sure to cover it, so you don’t end up with a nicely greased microwave! 

Add the Panko crumbs right into the melted butter and mix until well coated. If you’re not a fan of Panko Crumbs…go see your doctor! There’s a serious problem. Lol No, I’m teasing you! You can use regular bread crumbs instead of the Panko crumbs. I happen to love the coarser texture of Panko crumbs for this recipe.

Panko bread crumbs mixed with melted butter

Sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs on top of the cheese layer! Don’t stress if it doesn’t cover every inch of the chicken breast. It’s going to be perfect. The chicken breasts will shrink when cooking and the crumbs will actually cover everything beautifully!

Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, or dried parsley if you don’t have fresh. It gives a  beautiful “pop” of color.

Place the prepared chicken into a 350° oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbly, and the bread crumbs are golden brown.

Bread crumbs sprinkled over the top of the chicken and cheese.

While the chicken is cooking make the Parmesan Dijon Cream Sauce. In a medium sauce pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly. This is to prevent lumps! Cook the butter and flour mixture for 1–2 minutes.

In a small skillet butter and flour whisked together for the sauce.

Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Continue whisking mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken. Roughly about 3–5 minutes.

Adding milk to flour and butter roux

Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Keep sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking.

TIP: If your sauce becomes too thick just add a little more milk. If it is too thin, simmer longer and reduce it down until it is the thickness you prefer.

Adding grated Parmesan

Serve each piece of Chicken Cordon Bleu with the warm Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce. Sprinkle with additional chopped parsley.

Isn’t that a beautiful Chicken Cordon Bleu?! The bread crumbs are beautiful and crispy golden brown. The Swiss cheese is melted and bubbly! The chicken and ham are the perfect platform for all the other toppings. The delicious lip-smacking Parmesan-Dijon Sauce brings it all together in one perfect marriage of flavors!

Chicken Cordon Bleu with cheese sauce over the oven baked chicken

It looks like a fancy dish you could serve to company, but it really is so simple to make with very little prep work that it’s the perfect busy weeknight meal!

I feel the most difficult part of this recipe is that Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce and even that isn’t difficult. You just have to spend a little time whisking, and it’s worth every whip of the arm!  Plus… It’s good Cardio! 😉 Win-win!

I served fresh green beans and a beautiful Cesar Salad with mine. It was a fantastic easy weeknight meal and one I know your family will love!

Other delicious Easy Chicken Recipes here at Norine’s Nest

Thanks for stopping by my Nest! Remember, if you want to see all my weekly recipes and fun idea’s to sign up for my Free Weekly Newsletter!

Happy Nesting!

Norine's Picture with Signature
Yield: 6 servings

Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

An easy delicious baked Chicken Cordon Bleu with a fabulous mouth-watering Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 large, thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets: you will have 6 thin chicken breast total)
  • 12 slices good quality deli ham
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 pound (8 ounces) thinly sliced Swiss Cheese

For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouilllon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worchstershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

  1. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350° degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.
  2. Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9 x 13 dish. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with slices of Swiss Cheese, layering across the chicken breast to make sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.
  3. Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.
  4. When the chicken is almost done, in a medium sauce pan, melt the 2 Tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly. Cook the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes.
  5. Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. If your sauce is too thick, whisk in some more milk. If it's too thin, simmer longer.
  6. Serve each chicken cordon bleu with warm sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6 servings

Serving Size:

1 chicken breast

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 378Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 1145mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 34g

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Patricia

Wednesday 10th of May 2023

Is the cook time the same if I use thin cut chicken breast rather than butterflying them myself?

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Monday 15th of May 2023

Hi Patricia! Yes you would use the same cook time! Sorry for my delayed response. I've been down with a back injury! Ugh! Have a Great Week! Norine

Lisa Carey

Wednesday 14th of December 2022

I'm making this for my crew at the Fire Department tonight!

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Wednesday 14th of December 2022

Hi Lisa! I'm excited to hear how they like it! Let me know! Lucky Fire Department Crew to have you cooking for them! Happy Holidays! Norine

Cheryl

Sunday 21st of February 2021

Made this the other day for a friend recovering from surgery. Had 4 large breasts. add a little extr to cover the additional chicken. So very good!! Kept some of th Dijon sauce and reheated for the extra batch. Delicious for the second time!!! Thanks!

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Monday 22nd of February 2021

Hi Cheryl! How nice that you made this for a friend! Hope they are recovering quickly. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing with us. We hope you'll stop back by again soon. Have a GREAT week! Norine

MJ

Thursday 5th of December 2019

Instead of bouillon cubes could I use chicken broth. Thanks.

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Thursday 5th of December 2019

Hi MJ! Yes you can use chicken broth instead of bouillon cubes. You'll love this recipe. So tasty. Thanks for stopping by and reaching out to me. Happy Nesting! ~Norine

Kathi

Tuesday 9th of January 2018

Am going to be making this dish tonight. Since there is just me - I am only using 2 chicken breasts - and will freeze the leftovers for another meal or lunch to take to work The only change I made is that I used 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Chicken base in place of the bouillon cube or crystals. The Better than Bouillon base has no MSG (which I am highly allergic to) and low sodium. Costco and Raley's have it and I use it in all of my cooking. It also comes in beef and vegetable. When it's dissolved in water - it goes a really long way. Thanks for sharing this great recipe. And yes - please use the Panko breadcrumbs - they are the best for this dish.

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Tuesday 9th of January 2018

Hi Kathi! Thanks for sharing your changes. I'm sure it will be really helpful to others. I love the idea of freezing the leftovers for another meal! Hope you love the dish as much as we do. Have a GREAT week. Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me. Happy Nesting! ~Norine

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