This air fryer chicken cordon bleu is a mess-free, weeknight friendly version of a classic chicken dinner. Juicy, breaded chicken breasts stuffed with smokey ham and melty Swiss cheese, all ready in the air fryer in under 30 minutes! Served with creamy mashed potatoes, or crispy brussel sprouts, dinner is set!
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What Is Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken cordon bleu is a fancy name for a super simple dish. Cordon bleu is made by butterflying boneless, skinless chicken breast. The chicken breast gets stuffed with smoked ham, and Swiss cheese. Wrap it all up, and bread it for the most delicious crunch!
The dish gets its name from the french term cordon bleu, which is a ribbon of excellence. What that means to me is that this dish is meant to be absolutely freaking delicious, and well, it is!
👩🏽🍳Why This Recipe Works
- Shortcut breading method: A usual breading setup requires flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. It is foolproof, but it takes a lot of time and um, even more dishes. This recipe uses mustard as the "glue" which is a major, flavourful shortcut.
- No deep frying: Cordon bleu is generally deep or pan fried. I love fried food as much as anyone else, but getting the oil set up is a whole process that I do not usually have time for. This recipe uses the air fryer, which is a breeze to clean up, and a little lighter too!
- Simple ingredients: You do not need any fancy ingredients to make this fancy sounding recipe. You probably already have everything you need in your fridge and pantry!
🥘Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Chicken breasts are ideal for this recipe, as they have more surface area to be stuffed. I also recommend using skinless chicken breast, as the skin may end up a little soggy once breaded with breadcrumbs.
- Smoked ham: Use your favourite ham for this recipe - whether that's your sandwich ham or something fancy. I used smoked black forest ham, which happens to be my favourite for sandwiches and eating straight out of the fridge.
- Swiss cheese: Swiss cheese is the traditional cheese to use in cordon bleu. You can use gruyere, or emmental cheese, which are both mild and nutty cheeses.
- Breadcrumbs & panko: I like to use a combination of seasoned breadcrumbs and panko. Panko breadcrumbs are Japanese breadcrumbs. They are much crunchier than regular breadcrumbs, and add more texture to the coating.
- Seasoning: You will need garlic and onion powder, smoked paprika, and salt.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
📖Substitutions
- Black forest ham: You can use any kind of ham that you have on hand, or prefer. For a less traditional version, you can use prosciutto.
- Swiss cheese: Feel free to use any melting cheese, like mozzarella or provolone.
- Dijon mustard: You can use a traditional breading setup with flour, eggs and breadcrumbs if you do not want or have dijon mustard.
🔪Variations
- Unbreaded: If you want to keep this light, you can pan sear or air fry the chicken breast without the breading.
- Saucey: Make a quick mustard sauce with butter, flour, cream and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve!
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Shred the cheese - I always recommend using freshly shredded cheese, especially when you are looking for that oozy, gooey factor. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agents, which do not melt the best.
Mix together the seasoning - Mix the spices together in a small bowl. I like to pre-mix my seasonings for even distribution.
Using a sharp knife, butterfly the chicken breast. To do this, lay the chicken breast on a flat surface. Make a cut in the side of the chicken, horizontally. Stop short of cutting all the way through. Open the chicken breast like a book, and repeat for the second breast. [photo 1]
Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap or parchment paper, and pound flat with a meat mallet or a heavy skillet/rolling pin. [photo 2]
Sprinkle the seasoning onto both sides of the chicken breast liberally, and rub in. [photo 3]
Lay down two slices of ham, and equal parts of the cheese onto the butterflied chicken breast. [photo 4]
Roll the chicken tightly, folding the cheese into the roll. Close the seam with three toothpicks, going through the seam. [photo 5]
Brush the top of the rolled chicken breasts with dijon mustard. Next, place the chicken rolls in the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Brush the other side of the chicken with more mustard, and ensure the chicken rolls are coated evenly with the breadcrumbs. [photos 6&7]
Place the chicken in the air fryer basket and spray the tops with cooking spray - I used avocado oil spray. [photo 8]
Air fry the chicken breasts for 15 minutes, at 375°F. Halfway through cooking, flip the chicken and spray again with cooking spray.
💭Expert Tips
Use a silicone brush when brushing the dijon mustard on the chicken. It is easier to clean, and more sanitary than a standard pastry brush.
Use a shallow dish bread the chicken. This will give you better surface area, and makes the breading process less messy.
🍽Make Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead Instructions
You can season and roll the chicken breasts with ham and cheese, and freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag. These rolls will stay good for up to 3 months. All that you need to do is brush the chicken with mustard and bread before air frying. No need to thaw the chicken!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover chicken in the fridge, sealed in an airtight container or ziploc bag. The chicken will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheat the chicken in the air fryer or oven, covered in foil. This will prevent the breading from burning and drying out.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken thighs are not ideal for cordon bleu. Chicken thighs do not have the same amount of surface area as chicken breasts. Because of this, they do not fill and roll as well as chicken breasts.
Leave the breading off of the chicken breast, or bread the chicken in parmesan cheese or pork rinds (if you like them), for a low carb version of this recipe.
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Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 4 slices Black forest ham
- ½ cup Swiss cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Seasoned breadcrumbs
Equipment
- Toothpicks
Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken: Using a sharp knife, butterfly the chicken breast. To do this, lay the chicken breast on a flat surface. Make a cut in the side of the chicken, horizontally. Stop short of cutting all the way through. Open the chicken breast like a book, and repeat for the second breast.2 Chicken breasts
- Pound the chicken: Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap or parchment paper, and pound flat with a meat mallet or a heavy skillet/rolling pin.
- Season the chicken: Mix together all the spices. Sprinkle the seasoning onto both sides of the chicken breast liberally, and rub in.1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon Onion powder, 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika, Salt and Pepper
- Stuff and roll: Lay down two slices of ham, and equal parts of the cheese onto the butterflied chicken breast. Roll the chicken tightly, folding the cheese into the roll. Close the seam with three toothpicks, going through the seam.4 slices Black forest ham, ½ cup Swiss cheese
- Bread the chicken: Brush the top of the rolled chicken breasts with dijon mustard. Next, place the chicken rolls in the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Brush the other side of the chicken with more mustard, and ensure the chicken rolls are coated evenly with the breadcrumbs.2 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs, ¼ cup Seasoned breadcrumbs
- Air fry: Place the chicken in the air fryer basket and spray the tops with cooking spray. Air fry the chicken breasts for 15 minutes, at 375°F. Halfway through cooking, flip the chicken and spray again with cooking spray.
Notes
- Use a silicone brush when brushing the dijon mustard on the chicken. It is easier to clean, and more sanitary than a standard pastry brush.
- Use a shallow dish bread the chicken. This will give you better surface area, and makes the breading process less messy.
Jenn
This is my kind of recipe! I love making shortcuts in the kitchen, and with my air fryer this looks like an amazing dish!
Devy
My kids will love me more for this. And it looks easy to make. I can't wait to try it out for tomorrow's dinner. Thank you.
Ali - We Made This Life
I have been toying with buying an air fryer for a while now and recipe's like this are persuading me, my husband would love this!
Tara
What a delicious shortcut! That chicken looks absolutely incredible and I love the color on the crust. Such great flavors.
Megan
I LOVE this idea! I also love anything breaded (with a sauce) and I hate going through the flour egg flour process. Definitely trying your mustard hack for other recipes as well as this one!
JoJo Caroll
This looks so awesome, however, I do not own an air fryer. What temp and how long should I bake in the oven?
Sunena Anand
Hi JoJo! I am so excited for you to give this a try. Although I have not tested this recipe in the oven specifically, if I were to make it, I would do these at 400°F so the chicken gets nice and crispy. I would let the chicken cook for 20-25 minutes, if you are using medium-sized chicken breasts.
Let me know how it goes!