Y’all KNOW I’m all about some awesome weeknight boneless, skinless chicken breast recipes, and today we’ve got a brand new one: an easy chicken cordon bleu recipe, baked in the oven with a crispy breading inspired by one of my favorite recipes of all time, Shame Chicken.
This is a healthier chicken cordon bleu recipe, but don’t get me wrong – it’s still stuffed with cheese and meat, so as usual, let’s take the term healthy with a grain of salt. I also leave out any sort of sauce for this chicken cordon bleu, as the chicken is so moist that you don’t really need it.
However, I do LOVE a white wine or mustard sauce with classic chicken cordon bleu, and if you’ve got it in you to whip one up on a weeknight, more power to you and let me know all about it!
This is a super easy chicken recipe, and I’ve even got photos for you to follow along! I make everything on ONE PAN, including doing all the prep, so all you have to clean at the end of the night is the dish you ate on plus the pan it baked on.
BOOM. You are welcome.
How to make Healthier Chicken Cordon Bleu in the Oven
First, pat the chicken dry, make several slices across the top, but not all the way down, and then spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over the top of each chicken breast.
Press the breadcrumbs onto the tops of the chicken breasts.
Split the ham among the chicken breasts evenly, placing at least once piece of ham into each cut in the chicken.
Stuff the shredded cheese into the slices in the chicken. Try to get as much as you can into the actual slices, but it’s okay if some is on top of the chicken, too. It will melt and brown and be delicious either way.
Bake the chicken at 350 F for about 22 minutes.
How easy was that?! Delicious baked chicken cordon bleu, all on one pan, ready in about 30 minutes!
Of course, some of you will ask so I might as well go ahead and answer …
Can I make chicken cordon bleu without breading?
Yes! While it won’t have that delicious classic crunch, this particular way of stuffing the chicken ( hasselback style ) means you can definitely leave out the breading entirely and still have a really wonderfully flavorful low carb boneless skinless chicken breast dinner.
Follow the directions below as written, leaving out the step where you spread on the mayo and press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken. Instead, a quick rub of olive oil over the chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper should do the trick nicely, and all other things ( like cooking time ) can remain the same.
What are some other great weeknight boneless, skinless chicken breast recipes?
So glad you asked!
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2½ Tablespoons mayonnaise
- ½ cup Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs ( Or plain breadcrumbs with 1 T parsley, ¼ teaspoon oregano, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder added )
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded ( you can sub sliced Swiss cheese if that's all that's available )
- 3 ounces thick sliced ham
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Note: I do all of the prep right on the pan I'm baking the chicken on!
- Pat each chicken breast dry so they are easier to work with and so the breading sticks to it later. Being careful not to cut entirely through the chicken breast, slice the chicken from the top down, until the slice is about ¼" from the bottom of the chicken. Repeat until you have 5 slices in each chicken breast.
- Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over the chicken. Don't worry about getting it into the slices you just made. Spreading mayo over the outside of the chicken only is just fine!
- Mixed the black pepper and salt with the breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs onto the mayonnaise covered chicken breasts. I don't bother doing the bottom of the chicken - it's perfectly delicious just to do the area exposed to the heat!
- Place a portion of sliced ham into each slice in the chicken breasts. Split the cheese shreds into three equal parts, and stuff each slice in the chicken with the shredded cheese. This will get messy, and that's okay! Don't feel like you have to keep it super neat.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Usually about 22 minutes for me, although thicker chicken breasts will require up to three to five minutes more.
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