Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

In last week’s Heroes in the Kitchenpost,Carlashared her story about how cooking has remained a constant through all of her life stages. Family dinners were an important part of her childhood, and Carla has made home cooked meals a priority with her 2-year-old son. I asked her to give us one of her favorite weeknight recipes, and she was kind enough to share her Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe.

By Jess Dang
April 22, 2013

Chicken Cordon Bleu isa dish that Carla’smom used to make when Carla was growing up, so there are a lot of memories associated with it. However, Carla takes a healthier approach to the traditional classic by baking it instead of frying it. Best of all she feels good about serving it to her son, who likes it because of its fancy sounding name (sounds like we have a young epicure!).

I’ll admit that prior to making Carla’s recipe, I had never cooked nor eaten chicken cordon bleu. How un-American is that? Luckily, Carla has helped me fix this situation, and I can proudly call myself an American again.

For some reason, I thought this was a fussy dish to make, but it turns out it’s a super simple and delicious weeknight dish.

Plus, every kid loves working a meat tenderizer, so definitely let them get in on that action. They can help with the dredging too. Just reminder to disinfect your countertops afterwards in case any chicken juices end up straying.

Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu | Cook Smarts Recipe (1)

The best thing about oven mealsis that extra time you getwhile dinner is baking.

You can pull together an easy vegetable side, like broccoli with lemon and garlic, get the dishes cleared and the counter cleaned (so you don’t have to do it after dinner), or use those twenty-some minutes to catch up with your family.

And then let everyone peek through the oven window in the last minute of cooking to enjoy the sight of all that melting cheese!

Prepping Smarts

Spread some Dijon mustard onto your chicken for another kick of flavor
Pre-roll everything before dinner and then just pop it into the oven when it’s dinner time
With the video below, you’ll be able to learn how to tenderize chicken, how to bread and dredge, and how to roll it all together to make Chicken Cordon Bleu:

How to Make Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

Baked chicken cordon bleu can be an easy, delicious, and fun-to-make weeknight dinner.

Equipment Smarts

Meat tenderizer–flattens and tenderizes the chicken, makingit for faster and more even cooking. If you don’t have a meat tenderizer, you can get creative and use a rolling pin or a heavy pan.
Pyrex dishes– the perfect size for your breading and dredging station
Sheet pans– make it easy to take the chicken in and out of the oven in one go

See this recipe in our meal plan here

This American classic gets a healthy makeover by being baked instead of fried, and also makes a great dish to get your kids involved in cooking.

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 25 min

Total time: 40 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Chicken breasts, skinless and boneless - 1 lb
Ham - 4 slices
Swiss cheese - 4 slices
Flour - ½ cup
Salt - ¼ tsp
Pepper - ⅛ tsp
Eggs - 1 to 2
Water - 1 Tbsp
Bread crumbs / panko - ½ cup
Parmesan cheese (optional) - ¼ cup

Instructions

Prep

Chicken – Slice in half to make them thinner. (You can also purchase them this way to save time). Season with salt and pepper. Place them between two sheets of parchment or wax paper. Pound with a meat tenderizer until they are flat and about ¼” thinness. (See video here.)
Dredging stations – Mix together flour and salt & pepper in one bowl / dish. Whisk together egg and water in second bowl / dish. Mix together bread crumbs and cheese in a third bowl / dish. You can also feel free to add some spices like dried mustard, thyme, or parsley for more flavor.

Make

Preheat oven to 450 F (232 C) degrees. Spray a large non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.
Place a slice of ham on top of the chicken, then the cheese and roll. Set aside. You can secure them with a toothpick if needed.
Dip the chicken into the flour mixture, then egg wash, then into the breadcrumbs.
Place chicken onto the baking sheet seam side down.
Bake about 25 minutes, or until until chicken has reached 165 F (74 C) degrees. Cheese will start oozing out.