You could bread a shoe and I would probably happily gobble it up. Strange, I know, but breaded foods are quite literally my guilty pleasure. The only issue I have with breaded foods, is how tedious the process can be. I am always looking for new shortcut recipes, and this shortcut chicken cordon bleu is one of my favourite shortcut breaded recipes.
Ingredients of Cordon Bleu
Chicken Cordon Bleu really sounds a lot fancier than it is. Chicken cordon bleu is fancy French for boneless skinless chicken breast, stuffed with Swiss cheese and ham, and breaded in breadcrumbs. Don't let the name intimidate you - it's really just crunchy cheesy goodness!
Shortcuts Are the Key to Success
To make this chicken cordon bleu a shortcut chicken cordon bleu, and that too, a weeknight friendly meal, shortcuts are key. The shortcuts I came up with make this a super easy cordon bleu recipe, with minimal prep and cooking time! The best part, with your air fryer you don't need to worry about the clean-up of shallow frying, making this a healthy twist.
Skip the Stuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu
Traditionally, chicken cordon bleu is a stuffed chicken recipe. Stuffed chicken is great, but it also requires you to make a little pocket for the stuffing. I am going to let you in on a little shortcut secret - skip the stuffing.
I layered the boneless, skinless chicken breast with a piece of cheese, and the ham on top. It cases the cheese in, and takes seconds to do, instead of tediously stuffing and rolling your chicken. Once breaded, the ham and cheese stay stuck to the chicken breasts - game changer!
Up Your Breading Game
Traditional breaded chicken recipes use a standard three-stage breading process - flour, egg and breadcrumbs. I'm not going to lie - this process is one of the reasons why I shy away from breaded meals at home, because it gets a little messy. Some chicken cordon bleu recipes have dijon mustard in the stuffing, but I use the dijon mustard as the glue for my panko breadcrumbs. Using a pastry brush, brush the chicken breasts with dijon mustard, and bread.
What to Serve with Cordon Bleu
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Shortcut Chicken Cordon Bleu (In the Air Fryer!)
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Onion powder
- ½ tsp Smoked paprika
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 6 slices Black forest ham
- 6 slices Provolone cheese
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Season the Chicken: Season the chicken cutlets liberally with the garlic and onion powder, paprika and salt and pepper, on both sides.
- Layer Ham and Cheese: Top the chicken breasts with a a slice of cheese, and top with a slice of ham, slightly wrapping around the chicken.
- Bread the Chicken: Using a pastry brush or a spoon, brush the chicken generously with dijon mustard on one side. Dip the side with mustard in the panko breadcrumbs, and brush the other side with mustard. Flip the chicken over, and coat the other side in panko.
- Air Fry: Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray, and place the chicken cutlets in the air fryer. Spray the tops with non-stick cooking spray, and air fry for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
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!