Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe with Sauce (2024)

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Filled with nutty cheese and salty slices of ham, this Chicken Cordon Blue recipe with creamy Parmesan sauce is completely irresistible. This is an easy chicken cordon bleu recipe you can prepare a day ahead.

Let me start off by saying I love, love, love chicken cordon bleu and sauce. It’s an elegant dish that’s delicious, but it’s surprisingly easy to make, so it’s perfect for a special meal.

There are plenty of cordon bleu recipes out there with a Dijon mustard sauce, and I know they’re tasty. But my cordon bleu sauce is a creamy Parmesan sauce I promise you’re going to love. It’s unique and so flavorful, you might want to make a little extra to serve with other dinners!

My favorite thing about this chicken cordon bleu dish is that you can prep it the day before, so if you need a special holiday dinner (it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day!) then you can have it ready to cook beforehand.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. I’m excited to share this recipe with you!

Definitely one of the best recipes I ever made. It was perfect. Thank you for a great recipe!

Lucille on Pinterest

What is chicken cordon bleu?

Chicken cordon bleu is a classic chicken dinner that consists of thin chicken breast stuffed and rolled with cheese and ham. After stuffing the chicken, you coat it in breading and bake or fry it. Generally, cordon bleu is served with a sauce of some kind. In this case, my chicken cordon bleu recipe is served with a Parmesan sauce.

The name is French, meaning “blue ribbon”, but this dish is actually a schnitzel recipe from Switzerland. You may even hear it referred to as schnitzel cordon bleu!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Ingredients

• Chicken Breasts: You will need your chicken breasts to be fairly thin for cordon bleu, which means either pounding them out wiht a meat mallet or butterflying them (cutting them in half). I find the mallet method easiest, personally!
• Swiss Cheese: Sliced Swiss cheese is the way to go with this chicken cordon bleu recipe.
• Ham: You want your ham to be thinly sliced, but if you can, I recommend using leftover ham. It is so delicious with leftovers.
• Kosher Salt: Either use kosher salt or Maldon sea salt flakes. I highly advise against using table salt as it can add a metallic flavor to food when cooked.
• Black Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper is best.
• Eggs, Flour, and Breadcrumbs: This makes up the breading mixture for the chicken cordon bleu. You dust the chicken in flour, dip it in eggs, then roll it in breadcrumbs to bread it. I’m using regular dry breadcrumbs, but you can also use panko breadcrumbs if you prefer.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce

• Butter: I recommend using a high quality butter like Kerrygold, but really, use whatever you have. Unsalted butter is best here, because the Parmesan is salty on its own.
• Flour: I’m using all-purpose flour, but for a roux like this one, you can use a gluten-free flour 1:1 if you prefer. The same goes for the breading mixture above.
• Milk: 2% milk works best for this sauce. You can also use half and half or heavy cream, but keep in mind this will make the sauce richer and heavier. I prefer milk.
• Parmesan: Use freshly grated Parmesan for the best flavor and texture. I advise against using any Parmesan that comes in a shaker bottle.

How to Prepare Chicken Cordon Bleu

2: Flatten Chicken Breasts

Pat dry boneless skinless chicken breasts with a paper towel. Place plastic wrap over top chicken breasts and flatten them using a meat mallet or a rolling pin. You can also butterfly them by cutting them in half horizontally, but I find it easiest to tenderize them with a mallet. Once flat, season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.

3: Layer with Cheese and Ham

Lay the flat chicken breasts side-by-side on top of plastic wrap. Top each one with a slices of Swiss cheese, then a layer of ham.

4: Roll into Pinwheels

Roll the chicken breasts into pinwheels with the cheese and ham on the inside.

5: Dredge in Flour

Get out 3 large, shallow bowls. Fill one with flour, one with two beaten eggs, and the third with toasted breadcrumbs. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour.

6: Dip into Egg

Dip the floured chicken breasts into egg to coat completely. Let any excess drip off.

7: Coat in Breadcrumbs

After dipping the floured chicken breasts in eggs, roll them in breadcrumbs to coat them completely.

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8: Roll and Refrigerate

Place each chicken breast onto its own sheet of plastic wrap. Use the wrap to roll the chicken breast tightly and seal off each end. Once sealed, roll it into a nice, round, cylinder shape and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cooking so it holds its shape.

9: Bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. After refrigerating the chicken cordon bleu for at least 30 minutes, unwrap it and add it to a baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the chicken is piping hot and cooked through. I recommend using an instant-read thermometer and my Chicken Temperature Chart.

How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce

1: Heat Butter and Flour

While your chicken bakes, you can start preparing your sauce. Place a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add butter and allow it to melt. Add flour to the melted butter and stir into a paste. This will be your roux, which forms the sauce base.

2: Mix in Milk

Slowly and gradually add milk to the roux. Please make sure to do this slowly, or the dairy may curdle and form lumps. While gradually pouring the milk into the pan, stir, stir, stir! This helps prevent lumps from forming, too.

3: Add Cheese

Continue to stir after adding the milk until the sauce thickens. When it begins to simmer, remove it from the heat and add Parmesan cheese. Stir it until it melts and the sauce is smooth and creamy.

4: Serve with Cordon Bleu

To serve, drizzle the Parmesan cream sauce over the chicken cordon bleu, and enjoy!

This was sooo delicious! My husband raved about it. I found the instructions easy to understand. The sauce for on top made them so decadent.

Darlene on Pinterest

Tips from Isabel

• Roll out one chicken breast at a time. This saves space and is just easier.
• Wash your hands. This might seem obvious, but make sure to wash the egg off your hands before trying to coat the chicken with breadcrumbs. This keeps things cleaner and stops the crumbs from sticking to your hands instead of the chicken.
• What to do if lumps form: If your sauce starts to get lumpy, remove it from the heat immediately. Stir until smooth, then return it to the heat and continue to add milk. If it’s too lumpy, you can run it through a sieve and reheat it.

These were amazing!

Carrie from Pinterest

Make Ahead Chicken Cordon Bleu

Once the raw chicken has been prepared and wrapped, it can either be chilled in the refrigerator for up to one day, or frozen for up to one month before cooking. If chilled, unwrap and place in the oven immediately for 35 minutes, or until cooked through. If frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then cook according to recipe instructions.

These were great! I rolled and breaded them the day before.

Janell

Storing Leftover Chicken Cordon Bleu

Store leftover chicken cordon bleu in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I recommend gently reheating in the oven or even in the air fryer to keep the texture of the breading crisp.

Reheating Cordon Bleu Sauce

Creamy Parmesan sauce thickens as it cools. However, once you return it to the heat, it loosens up again. Add a bit more milk to smooth out the consistency when reheating, if necessary.

I tried it! It came out great and will be added to our dinner rotation.

Sandra

FAQ for Making Chicken Cordon Bleu

What to Serve with Chicken Cordon Bleu

• Instant Pot Green Beans: This is an easy recipe that makes a great side of greens for chicken cordon bleu.
• Creamy Mushroom Risotto: A truly delicious combo! I highly recommend trying cordon bleu with risotto.
• Blistered Tomatoes: I love serving cordon bleu with a side of fresh blistered tomatoes.
• Scalloped Potatoes: Cheesy scalloped potatoes make a great side dish for cordon bleu.
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup: For Fall and Winter, you won’t find a better side dish for chicken cordon bleu than butternut squash soup.

I made this for my husband and me and it was amazing!!!

Erica

Recipe