This is the EASIEST way to prepare Chicken Cordon Bleu without sacrificing any flavor! Made with only 6 ingredients and requiring only 5 minutes of preparation, this Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu is perfect for busy weeknights. It also happens to be low-carb and gluten-free, making this a great dish to serve to anyone on a restricted diet.
While classic Chicken Cordon Bleu is absolutely delicious, it is really not all that good for you. And the preparation takes quite a bit of time and can get a bit messy.
This recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu changes that. There is no heavy breading, no deep-frying, yet all of the classic flavors remain! And instead of pounding, stuffing, and breading chicken breasts, this recipe only requires 5 minutes of preparation and only 6 ingredients!
While this recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu may not be traditional, the flavors hit a home run. And the ease of this simple chicken dinner is perfect for any night of the week. I love to serve with a Brussels Sprouts Salad or Roasted Broccoli, for an easy low-carb meal that even my picky kids devour.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been trimmed of fat. It is best to use chicken breasts that are all about the same size so they cook evenly.
- Ham: Thinly sliced deli ham is best, but if you have leftover ham, feel free to use it.
- Swiss Cheese: Any variety of Swiss cheese works, and again is best to use thinly sliced cheese.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon adds INCREDIBLE flavor to this simple dish. You really do not want to skip this ingredient.
- Chicken Stock: The chicken will cook in a mixture of chicken stock and wine, which will flavor the chicken and keep the meat incredibly moist. Use homemade chicken stock or low sodium store-bought stock.
- White Wine: The tiny bit of wine added to this dish will work with the chicken stock to flavor the dish. Use a dry white wine, light chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio. You want to be sure it is a wine suitable for drinking, not a wine labeled cooking wine. But do need to purchase anything fancy. Trader Joe fans will recognize that I purchased what is referred to as Two Buck Chuck. And the results are still delicious! Feel free to use chicken stock in place of wine if your family does not drink alcohol.
Money-Saving Tip: If you are only using ham and cheese for this recipe, head to your deli counter and ask for 4 slices of ham and 4 slices of Swiss. The slices from the deli counter are typically large enough to cover a chicken breast, so you should only need 1 piece of ham and cheese for each piece of chicken. If you have a full package of ham and cheese, use the leftover to make Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets or Ham and Swiss Roll.
How to Make Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
The process of making this Low-Carb Chicken Cordon Bleu is so easy, that I am almost embarrassed to share it. ALMOST! I know you all need easy chicken recipes just like me.
- First, place chicken breasts into a baking dish in an even layer and season with salt and pepper.
- Brush mustard over each piece of chicken. Be sure to dish out some mustard into a separate dish BEFORE making this recipe, you don't want to be putting your brush or spoon back into a jar of mustard after touching raw meat.
- Cover the chicken with thinly sliced ham, overlapping slices if needed.
- Cover each piece of chicken with thinly sliced cheese, overlapping slices if needed so that the entire piece of chicken is covered with cheese.
- Pour wine or chicken stock around the chicken breasts and then place them into the oven.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a digital thermometer registers 160 degrees. The amount of time your chicken needs to cook will be based on the individual size of the chicken breasts. It is best to use a thermometer to ensure that you don't overcook your chicken.
- Finish the dish by broiling for 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese and for the chicken to finish cooking and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Mediterranean Chicken and Rice Skillet
- Mexican Chicken Skillet
- Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Stir-Fried Chicken with Bok Choy
- Pesto Chicken
Need more inspiration for planning meals that your family will love? Sign up for my FREE Meal Plans and each week you will get a meal plan with a shopping list.
This Chicken Cordon Blue is a perfect recipe for anyone looking for an easy meal that uses chicken breasts! I hope you enjoy this simple low-carb recipe and be sure to let me know in the comments how much you enjoyed it--I love hearing from you!
Easy Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed of fat
- 4-8 thin slices swiss cheese or your preferred sharp cheese
- 4-8 thin slices ham
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Place the chicken into a baking dish and then season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Brush each chicken breast with the Dijon mustard.
- Cover each piece of chicken with a slice or two of ham, overlapping slices if necessary, to cover entire piece of chicken. Top each piece of chicken with a slice or two of the cheese, again overlapping if necessary, to cover entire piece of chicken.
- Gently pour chicken stock and wine around chicken breasts.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 160 degrees.
- Turn on broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is browned and golden. Rest chicken for 5 minutes. At this point, the chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees and then serve.
Notes
- Feel free to use all chicken stock in place of the wine.
- If using wine, use a dry wine like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvingon Blanc.
- The number of slices of ham and cheese you need will depend upon how large your chicken breasts are and how large your slices of cheese and ham are. You want to just about cover the entire surface of the chicken breast with both the ham and cheese. Thin slices are best, but feel free to use leftover ham from a baked ham.
- The amount of time you need to cook your chicken will be determined bases on the SIZE of your chicken breast. It is best to use an digital thermometer for the most accurate cook time, or cook until the juices are clear.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2016 but was updated in February 2020 with new pictures and tips. The recipe remains the same.
Candyce
FYI, you can use apple juice or white grape juice in lieu of wine and still get a similar flavour profile as the wine.
Kristen Chidsey
Not for this recipe Candyce, the juice would be too sweet. I would use chicken broth in place of the wine.
Kate
Hi Kristen, I love your site! Where in the recipe do we add the liquids? I saw you add it in the video but I don’t think it’s listed as one of the recipe steps. Thanks again for all the great Menu ideas!!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kate! I am so glad you love my site 🙂 Add the liquids in after you top the chicken with the ham and cheese. Sorry if it was not clear!