Crispy Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of those dishes I’ve wanted to make from scratch for so long. My sweet neighbor recently shared her recipe with me and it is so good. Typically it is fried, but for this version, it’s baked in the oven, and you’ll be surprised at how golden crispy the bread crumbs are and the chicken is perfectly…dare I say “moist” – ha! That’s the worst word…but best to describe how good the chicken is. I can’t wait to make it all again real soon.

Tips for the BEST chicken Cordon Bleu:

Prebake the Breadcrumbs: This is the key to that crispy golden texture you would get from frying…only you are baking it in the oven.
Pound the chicken out flat: this is helpful for even baking.
Butter flavored crisco: For some reason this helps crisp things up in the oven.
The Creamy Dijon Sauce: The sauce takes it all to the next level.

Quick Tip for pounding chicken:

This might sound strange, but I love to hang onto thick empty cereal bags for the purpose of pounding out chicken. The plastic on those bags is so thick and almost indestructible and they are perfect for pounding chicken and containing any bacteria of handling raw chicken.

Ingredients:

1 -8oz box Panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable Oil spray
1/4 stick Butter flavored Crisco
FOR THE CHICKEN:
8 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
8 slices Swiss cheese
8 slices of ham
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 stick of Butter flavored Crisco

CREAMY DIJON SAUCE:

1 10oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup (chicken chunks, removed)
8oz. sour cream (half of one pint container)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 lemon juiced
3 tablespoon parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/2 tablespoon butter
milk, if desired

homemade chicken cordon bleu | NoBiggie.net — Those long cocktail toothpicks are perfect for holding the ham, Swiss and chicken together in a tight roll.

How to make Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu:

To start prebake the Bread Crumbs to make them crispy and golden:
Preheat oven to 350F.
On a baking sheet spread out the Panko breadcrumbs. Spray the bread crumbs with vegetable oil spray, and dot the baking sheet with chunks of the butter flavored Crisco. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown tossing them around on the baking sheet one time during baking. Let the breadcrumbs cool on the sheet pan. Toss them around on the baking sheet so they don’t burn on one side.
Mix together the mayo and the dijon mustard.
Prepare the chicken: pound it flat. Working one chicken breast at a time, place the chicken breast inside a thick plastic bag like an empty cereal bag (these work so good!), pound the chicken flat.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.
Coat the chicken breasts on all sides with the mayo mustard mixture.
Take one piece of ham and one piece of Swiss cheese and roll the two together. Roll the chicken breast around the ham and Swiss cheese and use a long toothpick to hold the chicken breast together in this shape.
Press the chicken rollup into the golden breadcrumbs to coat it on all sides. (At this point you can freeze for future baking if you’d like)
Place prepared chicken rolls on baking sheet with plenty of room around each roll. If the roles touch they will steam- you don’t want that.
Prepare a baking dish with generous amounts (dollops) of Butter flavored Crisco (you get a crispier bake with Crisco but you can certainly use butter)
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes turning them over during the last 15 minutes. (Length of baking time depends on the size of the chicken breasts.)
CREAMY DIJON SAUCE:
In a saucepan combine one can of soup with half a container of sour cream (or more depending on your taste), dijon mustard and the juice of one lemon. Heat slowly over medium heat… Right before serving add a pat of butter. You can thin it out with a little bit of milk if you desire.

the secret to baked chicken cordon bleu | NoBiggie.net — Mix up the Mayo Dijon mixture to coat the chicken before baking.

chicken cordon bleu before baking | NoBiggie.net — With your hands, coat the chicken with this mayo dijon mixture.

roll in toasted breadcrumbs chicken cordon bleu | NoBiggie.net — Now roll the chicken in the toasted Panko breadcrumbs.

baked chicken cordon bleu | NoBiggie.net — Now you are ready to bake!

What is in the Chicken Cordon Bleu sauce?

Cream of Chicken Soup
sour cream
Dijon mustard
lemon juice
parmesan cheese
butter
milk

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

Homemade crispy Chicken Cordon Bleu baked in the oven.

Author Kami | NoBiggie.net

Ingredients

Bread Crumbs:

1 8oz. box Panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil spray
1/4 stick Butter flavored Crisco

For The Chicken:

8 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
salt and pepper
8 slices Swiss cheese
8 slices ham
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 stick Butter flavored Crisco

Creamy Dijon Sauce:

1 10oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup chicken chunks, removed
8oz. sour cream (1/2 of pint container)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 lemon juiced
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese finely grated
1/2 tablespoon butter
milk if desired

Instructions

For the Breadcrumbs:

Preheat oven to 350F.
On a baking sheet spread out the Panko breadcrumbs. Spray the bread crumbs with vegetable oil spray, and dot the baking sheet with chunks of the butter flavored Crisco. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown tossing them around on the baking sheet one time during baking. Let the breadcrumbs cool on the sheet pan. Toss them around on the baking sheet so they don’t burn on one side.

For the Chicken:

Mix together the mayo and the dijon mustard.
Working one chicken breast at a time pound each chicken breast flat.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.
Coat the chicken breasts on all sides with the mayo mustard mixture.
Take one piece of ham and one piece of Swiss cheese and roll the two together. Roll the chicken breast around the ham and Swiss cheese and use a long toothpick to hold the chicken breast together in this shape.
Press the chicken rollup into the crispy golden breadcrumbs to coat it on all sides. (At this point you can freeze for future baking if you’d like)
Place prepared chicken rolls on baking sheet with plenty of room around each roll. If the roles touch they will steam, and you don’t want that.
Prepare a baking dish with generous amounts (dollops) of Butter flavored Crisco (you get a crispier bake with Crisco but you can certainly use butter).
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes turning them over once during the last 15 minutes. (Length of baking time depends on the size of the chicken breasts.)

Creamy Dijon Sauce:

In a saucepan combine one can of Cream of Chicken soup with half a container of sour cream (or more depending on your taste), dijon mustard and the juice of one lemon. Heat slowly over medium heat… Right before serving add a pat of butter. You can thin the sauce out with a little bit of milk to make it stretch further if you desire.

Making This Recipe? Tag us on Instagram: @NoBiggie using the hashtag #NoBiggieRecipes, so we can see what you are making in the kitchen!

What to serve with Chicken Cordon Bleu:

Can Chicken Cordon Bleu be made in advance? Can it be frozen?

Yes! I love to make extra and freeze some for a future dinner. You can choose to freeze it right before baking, or you can freeze it after baking…just make sure to let it cool before baking.