This classic Chicken Cordon Bleu brings restaurant-quality elegance to your dinner table in just 45 minutes. The perfect balance of tender chicken, melted cheese, and savory ham creates an irresistible combination that’s both impressive and satisfying. With 24g of protein per serving and straightforward prep time, this French-inspired dish proves that sophisticated cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you’re planning a special date night or elevating your weekday dinner routine, this recipe delivers golden-brown perfection every time.
Ingredients for Classic Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Chicken Breasts: 4 pieces (about 2 pounds), boneless and skinless
- Ham: 8 thin slices, good quality
- Swiss Cheese: 8 oz, either sliced or shredded works perfectly
- Corn Flakes: 3 cups, crushed finely (breadcrumbs can be substituted)
- Butter: 6 Tablespoons, melted for coating
- Seasonings: Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
For the Dijon Mayo Sauce
- Mayonnaise: 1 cup, room temperature
- Yellow Mustard: 1-2 teaspoons, adjust to taste
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Split each breast horizontally and pound between plastic wrap until thin and even
- Assembly: Layer each chicken piece with ham and cheese, then roll tightly in plastic wrap
- Chill: Refrigerate wrapped rolls for at least 30 minutes to maintain shape
- Coating Prep: Process corn flakes into fine crumbs and melt butter in separate dishes
- Breading: Dip chicken rolls in butter, then coat with corn flake crumbs
- Baking: Cook at 400°F for 30 minutes until internal temperature reaches 160°F
- Sauce Making: Mix mayonnaise with mustard, adjusting seasoning to taste
Cooking Techniques
The secret to perfect Chicken Cordon Bleu lies in the preparation! Pounding the chicken creates tender, even pieces that roll easily. Here’s a tip: if you don’t have a meat mallet, a heavy-bottomed pan works great too. The plastic wrap trick while rolling helps create that classic, tight spiral shape – just like the pros make! The cornflake coating adds an amazing crunch that’s even better than traditional breadcrumbs.
Make-Ahead Tips
You can prep these chicken rolls up to a day ahead – what a time-saver! Just wrap them tightly and pop them in the fridge. This actually helps them hold their shape better when cooking. Want to be super organized? Make a double batch and freeze the uncooked, breaded rolls for up to 3 months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
Variations
Love to mix things up? Try these tasty swaps:
- Switch Swiss cheese for Gruyere or Mozzarella
- Replace ham with prosciutto for an Italian twist
- Use panko breadcrumbs instead of cornflakes
- Add a sprinkle of herbs like thyme or rosemary to the coating
- Mix a little Dijon mustard into the mayo sauce for extra zip
Serving Suggestions
This golden-crusted chicken pairs beautifully with so many sides! Try it with:
- Steamed green beans or asparagus
- Creamy mashed potatoes
- Light garden salad
- Buttered egg noodles
- Roasted baby carrots Don’t forget to drizzle that yummy mayo-mustard sauce over top!
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Equipment
- Meat mallet
- Plastic wrap
- Baking sheet
- food processor
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 8 slices ham thin slices
- 8 oz Swiss cheese sliced or shredded
- 4 whole chicken breasts boneless skinless, about 2 pounds
- 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.).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
