This post is sponsored by The Hillshire Brands Company. All comments and opinions are my own.
Chicken Cordon Bleu:
Tender and juicy chicken stuffed with Hillshire Farm® Premium Carved Slow Roasted Seasoned Ham and Swiss cheese, then topped with a creamy cheese sauce and garnished with fresh parsley.
This Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe is the perfect dinner. Baked in a casserole dish, and something the whole family loves, it is simple, flavorful, and easy to make. Great for a busy weeknight, or for serving to company.
One of my kid’s favorite foods of all time is Chicken Cordon Bleu. As a working mom, I travel often. I know how much my kids love Chicken Cordon Bleu, so I started making a habit of leaving it as one of the prepared meals for them to eat whenever I was gone. Well, my son started associating the dish with me being gone. And one time he kept asking me if I needed to go out of town, and if I would leave. It got to the point where my feelings were starting to get hurt because he wanted me gone. I was legit sad. I finally asked him why he wanted me to leave so badly, and he said, “So we can have Chicken Cordon Bleu.” He thought the only way he could have Chicken Cordon Bleu was if I wasn’t home.
We all had a good laugh, and I made it that night for dinner.
To say I am excited to share this recipe with you is an understatement. It is one of those recipes that is perfect combination of ease and flavorful goodness and only takes a few simple ingredients.
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu?
Like with all great recipes, the way to make this one amazing is to start with quality ingredients. If you start with premium ingredients, you are more likely to get a better tasting meal!
Chicken breasts: Obviously the first ingredient for Chicken Cordon Bleu is chicken. For this recipe we use chicken breasts. Chicken breasts are versatile and delicious but can easily be ruined if you don’t pay attention.
The key to achieve great tasting chicken breasts is to cook them at the right temperature. Because chicken comes in different shapes and sizes, cook times vary. So, keep in mind, to get your chicken evenly cooked you will want to pound your chicken to even thickness. And my favorite tip, use a meat thermometer. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ham: The best ham to use for this chicken cordon bleu recipe is Hillshire Farm Premium Carved Slow Roasted Seasoned Ham. It is high-quality meat with no nitrates or nitrates added. It is all natural and contains no artificial ingredients or artificial preservatives. This ham is literally perfect for any occasion, whether I am in town or not.
Not only is it an excellent choice for premium high-quality meat, but you can get it at Walmart, which means I can pick it up while doing my other shopping, or even with their Online Grocery Pickup. It is located with the packaged lunch meats in the perimeter coolers.
Cheese: Why Swiss cheese? Swiss cheese is the perfect cheese for Chicken Cordon Bleu because it is mild, which allows the amazing flavor of the Hillshire Farm Premium Carved Slow Roasted Seasoned Ham to shine through, it offers a distinct flavor, but doesn’t dominate, and it melts perfectly.
Do you cover chicken cordon bleu when baking it?
One of the questions I get asked most about Chicken Cordon Bleu is whether or not you cover it when baking it. While this is up for debate, I prefer to not cover it. I feel like covering it will result in a slightly juicier chicken breast, but the coating will be soggy. And one of the best parts of Chicken Cordon Bleu is the crispy exterior with the tender, juicy, flavorful interior of salty ham and melty cheese.
Don’t cover the dish and be sure to check the temperature of the chicken so you still achieve juicy chicken that is not overcooked.
What is the best sauce for chicken cordon bleu?
Honestly, this Chicken Cordon Bleu doesn’t even need a sauce. The crunchy coating, juicy chicken, amazing Hillshire Farm Premium Carved Slow Roasted Seasoned Ham, and the melty Swiss cheese provide plenty of flavor. But don’t we just love taking things a step further?
This meal is great for any occasion and is great to make on busy weeknight or for company. If I am in a hurry, I skip the sauce, but when I want to impress or have guests over, this delicious cheese sauce is the perfect addition to Chicken Cordon Bleu.
It starts with a simple roux of butter and flour, and then you add heavy cream, Parmesan, and amazing flavor enhancers like mustard. Can we talk about how a premium piece of slow roasted and seasoned ham is always great with mustard? Trust me when I say this sauce is the perfect addition.
Serve it with a big green salad, baked potatoes, and a cooked veggie side. There you have it. a complete, wholesome meal the whole family will enjoy.
Be sure to grab some Hillshire Farm Premium Carved Meats the next time you are at Walmart and make this amazing Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe.
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Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
Breadcrumbs & Dredge
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 Tbs butter
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 eggs
Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 tsp each Salt and pepper
- 8 slices swiss cheese
- 5.5 ounces Hillshire Farm® Premium Carved Slow Roasted Seasoned Ham
Sauce
- 1 tsp garlic
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 2 tsp flour
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp pepper to taste
Garnish
- 1 Tbs fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Cut a pocket into each chicken breast
- In the pocket you created in the chicken, add a slice of cheese, top with slices of Hillshire Farm® Premium Carved Slow Roasted Seasoned Ham, then top with another slice of cheese.
- Close the pocket, and seal with 2 toothpicks.
- Season the outside with salt and pepper.
Dredge
- In a pie plate, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs.
- Put the panko and paprika into a separate pie plate, and mix together.
- Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, coating it well, then immediately move it to the panko crumbs.
- Use your fingers to press the breadcrumbs onto the side of the chicken.
- Place in a baking dish.
- Top each piece of chicken with ½ a Tbs of butter. Or spray with cooking spray.
Baking
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature of 165 degrees).
Sauce
- Meanwhile, while chicken bakes, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add butter, and garlic let butter melt, and garlic cook until fragrant, but not burnt.
- Add flour to the pot, and whisk together, cook for 1 minute.
- Add heavy cream and whisk until flour mixture is mixed in, and the sauce is smooth.
- Add mustard, black pepper and cheese.
- Continue to whisk, while cooking, until sauce has thickened, a few minutes, add or reduce milk to get your desired thickness.
Assembly
- When chicken is done baking, remove the toothpicks
- Top with cream sauce
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Erin says
This is such a classic and this is absolutely delicious!
Rachael says
Thank you so much. Definitely a favorite around here.
Kim says
Looks so good! Thanks for the recipe!
lauren kelly says
This is my middle guy’s favorite! I am definitely holding onto this recipe!
Rachael says
My kids love it. So glad to hear your kids enjoyed it.
Julie Blanner says
Can’t wait to make this!
Rachael says
Thank you!
Jocelyn says
We love this easy chicken dinner. It’s a favorite in our house too!
kazy says
So is that 1,046 calories for one serving or all 4 servings?
Rachael says
Hi Kazy,
unfortunately the nutrition calculator attached to my recipe card is not always the most accurate, so I always recommend running the numbers yourself using a calculator you trust.
kazy says
When you say cut a pocket into the chicken breasts do you mean to butterfly the breasts, slice them in half lengthwise?
Rachael says
You don’t want to slice it all the way through, and you don’t really want to butterfly it either because you want the ends to remain in tack. Think of it like a pita. Take one side and slice into the breast so you can slip the cheese and ham into it but it won’t hang out the edges.
kazy says
Thanks. Also the 1 tsp of garlic – is that supposed to be diced, chopped or crushed?
Rachael says
minced. Sorry!
kazy says
Wow this came out great. Now I have to figure out how to make this with thighs. I am not fond of breasts. They’re the least tastiest part of the chicken. Very very dry meat, even when it’s not overcooked. The only thing I would do different with this recipe, besides switching out the breasts for thighs, is I would double the sauce, it was that good! I did replace the heavy cream with full fat milk. When I researched cordon bleu sauce, most used was milk, not cream. Thanks so much for this recipe, it is a keeper. I can’t wait to cook this next week end.