Chicken Cordon Bleu

If you’re looking for a comforting meal that has become a favorite in households around the world, look no further than chicken cordon bleu. This breaded and stuffed chicken recipe can be made for an easy weeknight meal or a fancy dinner to impress guests with. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu

The truth is, while chicken cordon bleu gets its name from the French term for blue ribbon (denoting excellence), this dish actually stems from Switzerland. 

The base of this dish, the breaded chicken is commonly known around the world as schnitzel. A meal of schnitzel usually consists of a piece of meat, pounded thin, then breaded and pan-fried or baked. 

Chicken cordon bleu is made in a similar fashion, except it goes one step further. Rather than just pan-fry a piece of  chicken, the chicken is stuffed with ham and cheese inside. 

The ham and cheese are simple additions, but they really elevate this dish. Everybody always loves this meal when I make it, and I can’t blame them.

I like to add a few extra ingredients to ensure my chicken cordon bleu is really flavorful. Rather than just roll my chicken in plain old bread crumbs, I like to add a little bit of garlic powder and onion powder to the bread crumbs. 

I also like to smear dijon mustard onto the chicken before I add the ham and cheese. The dijon adds great flavor and compliments the dijon cream sauce that I top my chicken cordon bleu with. 

Before I tell you about the dreamy (and incredibly easy!) sauce that I make, I want to point out that I use gruyere cheese for the inside of my chicken cordon bleu. Traditionally, a thin slice or two of Swiss cheese is used. Swiss cheese has no flavor, in my opinion, so I prefer using thin slices of gruyere. 

For the dijon cream sauce, all I do is make a quick roux with some melted butter and flour, then I add half n half and dijon. The mixture is cooked until it’s thick, then a quick pinch of salt and pepper is added to finish it off. 

Once the chicken comes out of the oven, I pour the creamy sauce all over the top. It’s absolute heaven. 

If you’re interested in adding a classic dish that will please all generations, look no further than this chicken cordon bleu!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Breaded chicken stuffed with ham and gruyere, then topped with a creamy dijon sauce. 

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Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, pounded flat to 1/4" thin
• 4 tsp dijon mustard
• 4 slices of black forest ham, each sliced in half
• 4 oz. gruyere cheese
• 1 cup bread crumbs, toasted
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• salt
• pepper
• 1 egg, beaten

Dijon Cream Sauce

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup half n half
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Salt and pepper both sides of all the chicken breasts. Smear a teaspoon of dijon mustard over each chicken breast. 
2. Add two ham halves to each chicken breast (so each chicken breast is getting 1 whole slice of ham). Add about 1 oz. of gruyere cheese on top of each breast.
3. Roll the chicken breasts as tight as you can. Use a few toothpicks to pin each chicken breast closed. 
4. Mix the breadcrumbs with the onion powder and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg. Dip the chicken breasts in the egg first, then the bread crumbs. Cover the entire surface of the chicken breasts in bread crumbs. 
5. Place the rolled chicken breasts onto a baking sheet fitted with a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat. Bake the chicken for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink. 
6. To create the cream sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Once melted, add the flour, then stir to combine. Stream in the half n half and mix to combine. Add the dijon and again mix all together. Once the sauce is thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon, add a pinch of salt and pepper. 
7. Pour the dijon cream sauce over the baked chicken. Serve immediately. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 647

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