Name: Chicken Cordon Bleu with Creamy Butter Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Swiss
Ingredients: 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts; 8 slices deli ham; 8 slices baby Swiss cheese; Sea salt and black pepper, to taste; ¾ c. all-purpose flour; 1 T. Italian seasoning, divided; 1 t. garlic powder; 2 large eggs; 1/3 c. water; 1½ c. panko bread crumbs; ¼ c. Parmesan cheese, grated; Toothpicks; 1½ c. chicken broth; ¼ c. Greek yogurt; ¼ c. heavy cream; 2 T. Dijon mustard; ¼ c. unsalted butter, cut into pieces; ¼ c. all-purpose flour; Sea salt and black pepper, to taste; ¼ Parmesan cheese, grated

Chicken is one of those meats that works for any occasion. Want a simple roast dinner? Here’s a whole chicken! Fancy something spicy on the grill? Chop some chicken breast for skewers. But there are also some classic chicken dishes that everyone should try at some point.

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One of those is Chicken Cordon Bleu with a creamy butter sauce. It sounds French, it is filled with taste and once you know the basics, there are lots of variations you can make. Ready to get started?

What is chicken cordon bleu?

Before we dive into how to make chicken cordon bleu, let’s get to know it just a little better.

At its heart, it is like a chicken Kiev but rather than garlic butter, there’s a gooey delight of cheese and ham. It is usually covered in breadcrumbs and can be pan fried or even deep fried. It is also sometimes known as a schnitzel cordon bleu.

chicken cordon bleu with mash and asparagus

That schnitzel part tells you a bit about the actual heritage of the dish – it comes from Switzerland! Back in the 1940s, there was mention of a cheese filled chicken dish like a schnitzel. By the 1960s, the term ‘chicken cordon bleu’ was commonly used.

What can you serve with cordon bleu?

So we have the chicken filled with ham and cheese and a nice sauce with it. But what kind of side dishes work well?

Roasted or grilled asparagus

Asparagus is something that works well with loads of dishes and you can either roast or grill it. Something simple like lemon butter roasted asparagus could be an option or you could go for something like grilled asparagus with gremolata.

Green beans

Another simple side dish is green beans and you can add a little something to them to make them a little more interesting too. A great side dish for this chicken would be green beans with butter almonds.

Mashed potatoes

Sometimes simple works best and a pile of buttery mashed potatoes does tick that box. You can also add a little something to them to make them more interesting – a mild grated cheese is a good idea and matches up well with the flavours of the chicken.

Buttery rice

Like mashed potato, buttery rice is an easy option that has a little taste but isn’t too overwhelming. Add a little seasoning and something like some parsley to stop it being too bland.

Pasta salad

A great summer option is something cooler like a pasta salad. You can choose a favourite or go for something that isn’t too strongly flavoured to work well with the flavours in the dish.

What you need to make chicken cordon bleu

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 slices deli ham
8 slices baby Swiss cheese
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
¾ c. all-purpose flour
1 T. Italian seasoning, divided
1 t. garlic powder
2 large eggs
1/3 c. water
1½ c. panko bread crumbs
¼ c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Toothpicks

Sauce Ingredients:

1½ c. chicken broth
¼ c. Greek yogurt
¼ c. heavy cream
2 T. Dijon mustard
¼ c. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¼ c. all-purpose flour
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
¼ Parmesan cheese, grated

Kitchen equipment

Large baking sheet
Meat mallet or rolling pin
Small glass bowl
Small skillet

How to make the recipe

STEP 1: Place top oven rack in the centre position and pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat™ baking mat. Set aside.

STEP 2: Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until ¼” thick. Top each chicken breast with 2 slices of deli ham and 2 slices of Swiss cheese.

STEP 3: Tightly jelly roll each chicken breast and secure with toothpicks. Season with salt and black pepper, as desired, and set aside.

STEP 4: Add the flour, ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning, and garlic powder to a shallow bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Set aside.

STEP 5: Add the eggs and water to a second bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

STEP 6: Add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and remaining Italian seasoning to a third bowl. Lightly season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired, and stir to combine. Set aside.

STEP 7: Dredge each chicken breast in the seasoned flour until covered on all sides. Then dip the floured breasts into the egg wash and roll until coated. Finally, roll the egg-covered breasts in the seasoned breadcrumb mixture until thoroughly coated.

STEP 8: Transfer each breast to the prepared baking sheet and place in the pre-heated oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of just below 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. (The temperature will continue rising several degrees while the chicken rests).

STEP 9: When the chicken is almost ready to come out of the oven, combine the chicken broth, Greek yogurt, heavy cream, and Dijon mustard in a medium bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.

STEP 10: Add the butter to a small skillet set over medium heat. Stir occasionally until melted. Slowly whisk the flour in a little at a time until completely blended into the butter without any lumps remaining.

STEP 11: Stir in the yogurt mixture and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook for several minutes, whisking continually, until the sauce thickens and is heated through. Remove from heat and keep warm.

STEP 12: Remove chicken from oven and let cool for several minutes before slicing. Serve immediately topped with the butter sauce and your choice of sides.

Recipe tips

While the classic chicken cordon bleu recipe called for a Swiss cheese, there’s no reason you can’t play around with this. I’m a bit of a cheddar addict and something like Monterrey Jack will also cook well. Mix up the cheeses too! We often get pre-grated bags of four cheeses together and these can make a great filling.

The butter sauce does add something special to the meal and stops it going too dry. You could also swap this for other simple sauces like a cheese sauce or even something like a Dijon mustard and cream sauce.

Yield: 4 portions