Air fryer chicken cordon bleu is a warm, delicious dish the entire family will love. Wrapped in crunchy-coated chicken and filled with tender ham and creamy swiss cheese, this air-fried chicken cordon bleu is such a delight, it will leave you wanting more!
Fancy a fancier meal? Why not give this fabulous chicken cordon bleu recipe a try? Air Fryer chicken cordon bleu is one dish I get really fired up about. Crispy chicken breast with generous amounts of ham and cheese in the center, tastes literally out of this world!
The saltiness of the ham combined with the creaminess of the cheese, surrounded in crunchy-coated chicken, makes this the ultimate dish. The breading alone is superb!
If you haven’t made chicken cordon bleu before, it’s time to dig out the air fryer and make it happen. Fast, simple, and delicious, there’s no doubt this chicken will be a repeat performance.
Easy to make, but looks like you put in a ton of effort. Thanks to the air fryer, it does the work for you and, most of all, it saves you time. An outstanding dish with little labor and done in no time – that’s the secret.
So, if you’re a chicken and ham lover, this dish has your name all over it!
What does Cordon Bleu mean in French?
Cordon bleu is French for “blue ribbon” which is symbolic of excellence, superior quality and first-place status.
Th name, Le Cordon Bleu goes back to King Henry III in the 1500s referencing culinary excellence. There’s much more to the story, but we’ll leave it at that.
Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary arts school founded in Paris in 1895, is considered to be one of the finest in the world. Now in 20 countries with 35 international schools, students are taught the very best culinary techniques.
What is another name for chicken cordon bleu?
In many parts of the world, it’s known as a schnitzel which, quite simply is meat coated in breadcrumbs and fried. The word, schnitzel isn’t commonly used in the US, but it’s still a fun fact to know!
History of Chicken Cordon Bleu
As far as I can tell, chicken cordon bleu actually originated in Switzerland back in the 1940s. It’s inspiration likely came from veal Kiev. The history of veal Kiev is another story for another time.
Speaking of stories, how chicken cordon bleu got started is up for debate.
Legend has it that a certain restaurant in Brig, Switzerland, received two large bookings and the cook didn’t have enough chicken to serve everyone.
Necessity being the motherhood of invention, the cook thinly sliced the chicken and filled them with ham and cheese. Thus, was able to feed both groups.
The owner of the restaurant was so happy with the results, the cook was awarded with, and modestly accepted the “Cordon Bleu” – the blue ribbon – which, in France, is the highest culinary symbol.
Hence, the Swiss dish-bearing a French name was born.
Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu Pairings
Outside of being made in an air fryer, this air-fried chicken cordon bleu recipe is true to the classic. As such, it only stands to reason to pair it with classic accompaniments. Sides and wines that match perfectly with crispy-breaded chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, can turn the whole meal into a true culinary experience.
All this talk about the highest in culinary excellence is great, but you don’t have to be a kitchen wizard to make fabulous chicken cordon bleu.
Side Dishes for Air Fried Chicken Cordon Bleu
Since the main component of this dish is chicken, it really goes well with just about anything. Chicken is to food what black is to fashion. They both go with everything!
For example, anything potato or some nicely-steamed veggies would be more than complementary.
With a dish this hearty, you could always go with a nice side salad. It’s really up to you. There’s lots of choice.
In keeping with the air fryer theme, consider trying Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings or Air Fryer Crispy Roasted Baby Potatoes. Two fine dishes if I do say so myself!
Wine Choices for Chicken Cordon Bleu
If you’re a wine-lover, pairing a good wine with chicken cordon bleu can be just as important as the dish itself. A good choice is a chardonnay or even a semi-sweet white wine are two great options.
Dips
Some people like dips for all kinds of food. A good dipping sauce goes really well with chicken cordon bleu.
If you like mustard and garlic, below is a fantastic recipe for a garlic Dijon dip. It’s unique flavor only adds to what is an already delicious chicken dish.
Sour cream with paprika and other seasonings makes the ideal dip for chicken cordon bleu. It’s incredible! I crave this one a lot!
Let your taste buds be your guide and it’ll never steer you wrong. Find one you love or try a variety. Each dip will give your chicken cordon bleu a different taste. How cool is that?
If you’re a dip person, then perhaps our favorite dips will be of interest to you. They’re yours to discover!
How to Tell When Chicken Cordon Bleu is Done
Since there are many different components to this recipe, people might wonder how to tell when chicken cordon bleu is done. Using a meat thermometer is the most accurate way of telling.
It should show an internal reading of 165 degrees. Then you’ll know for sure that it’s ready to enjoy.
When cooking any kind of meat, I highly recommend using a meat thermometer; especially when it comes to chicken. Unfortunately, food-borne illnesses are a real thing. You don’t want to take any chances with chicken.
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you’d be wise to get one.
Storing Chicken Cordon Bleu
A good rule of thumb for most leftovers is 2-3 days in the fridge tops. The same goes for this chicken dish. Keep air-fried chicken cordon bleu in an air-tight container, and you won’t have any issues.
Freezing this dish isn’t recommended. It will lose it’s crispiness and the meat itself won’t have the same flavor. That said, I guess you’ll have to hunker down and eat it all before the 3 days are up. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it! 😉
Heating Leftover Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu
When reheating, finding a way to keep it crispy can be challenging. Popping it in the microwave to warm it up is fine, but the crispiness will be lost.
Reheating chicken cordon bleu in the air fryer is your best bet for bringing that crunchy back.
You can also reheat low and slow in the oven or convection oven, too.
Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu Ingredients
Sure, this dish looks and tastes fancy, but it’s actually very easy to make. The ingredients reflect that and come together to make something greater than the sum of its parts.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Paprika
- Deli slices of ham
- Swiss slices of cheese
- Dijon mustard
- Sour cream
- Crushed garlic
- All-purpose flour
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Eggs
- Panko bread crumbs or bread crumbs
- Minced dehydrated onion
- Parsley
Tips for Making Chicken Cordon Bleu
As you follow this simple recipe, there are a few things to keep in mind.
How to cut the chicken
When cutting chicken breast, don’t cut it all the way through. Cut it almost in half. Then unfold it and have spread it out like a butterfly. The chicken should still be connected on one side.
Tenderizing the chicken
Even though the chicken is already pretty tender, use a meat mallet and pound it out on a cutting board. While pounding, cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap to reduce mess.
Pounding the chicken also helps with the rolling part.
Tenderizing chicken breasts also thins them out, and they cook more evenly in the air fryer.
Rolling the chicken
The chicken will be the outside base for holding in the tasty slices of ham and cheese. Roll the chicken as tightly as possible, and don’t forget to use toothpicks to hold them in place.
Occasionally, I will sprinkle a generous amount of Parmesan cheese on top of the ham and Swiss cheese. When it comes to a recipe that calls for cheese, my husband says you can’t have enough of it. I can’t argue with that! So good and definitely worth a try.
Setting up your dredging station
It can get a bit messy, so I always tell people to have their station ready to go. Set up three bowls (the list of what goes in each and the directions can be found below).
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then follow the order and do it quickly to minimize the mess.
Preheat the air fryer
This is one step you don\t want to skip. Preheat the air fryer for at least 5 minutes. The heat has to be right. If you don’t, the breading and the chicken won’t begin cooking immediately, which will impact both the cooking time and the texture of the breading.
Spray the air fryer air basket
The chicken and panko crumbs are more than likely going to stick to the air fryer basket. To prevent that, spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Spray the stuffed chicken breast with cooking spray and again when you flip it. .
Since flipping the chicken is required, be sure and spray the air fryer basket AGAIN as you flip.
Serve with a Dip
Air-fried chicken cordon bleu is pretty special on its own. But, as I mentioned earlier, serving it with this Dijon mustard dip makes it chicken cordon bleu even more amazing!
However, there are times when my husband will make a different dip to serve with this dish. Often, he’ll end up making chicken in honey mustard or Ranch dip because he knows I love them!
These collection of dips are pretty awesome and go beautifully with chicken cordon bleu and many other meals, snacks and appetizers. So, if you’re curious, take a peek. I’m pretty sure you’ll be glad you did!
Give This Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu a Try
This air fryer chicken cordon bleu recipe is so easy to follow with very little work required on your part.
Again, the combination of swiss cheese, ham, chicken, all wrapped up in a delicious crispy breading makes this dish taste absolutely divine!
Serve chicken cordon bleu to a crowd and they’ll be lining up for more!
Give this chicken recipe a try and the results will amaze you! I’m pretty your family will think it’s one of the tastiest chicken dishes ever! Enjoy!
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Air Fried Popcorn Chicken with Garlic Parmesan Flavor
- Best Fried Chicken and Waffles Recipe
- Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
- Ramen Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Healthy Chicken Stir Fry
Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, boneless skinless
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 8 slices deli ham
- 8 slices swiss cheese
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic, crushed or minced
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon onion, minced , dehydrated
- 1 tablespoon parsley, garnish if desired
Instructions
- Get out and measure your ingredients.
- Lay out chicken breasts on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut along one side of the chicken breast until it is almost cut in half. Unfold the chicken and lay out flat.
- Place a film of plastic wrap over the chicken and pound out to ¼” thick using a meat mallet.
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- As evenly as possible.
- Place 2 slices of ham.
- And 2 slices of swiss cheese over the center of the chicken
- Starting at one side, tightly wrap the chicken, rolling to the other side.
- Secure using toothpicks.
- Rub remaining salt, pepper or paprika over your chicken breasts.
Prepare the dredging station
- Add flour, garlic, and onion powder to one bowl.
- Stir to combine.
- Whisk eggs into a second bowl.
- Add panko and minced onions to a third bowl.
- Dredge the chicken.
- First, roll the chicken into the seasoned flour.
- Then, dip and roll in the egg wash. Remove from eggs and let excess drip back into the bowl.
- Finally, roll into the panko bread crumbs until evenly coated.
- Repeat until all your chicken breasts are done.
- Preheat the air fryer to 380* for 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken to the air fryer basket and spray lightly with canola oil or nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook for 8 minutes, flip and spray again with canola oil and cook 8 minutes more.
- While the chicken is cooking prepare the dip.
- Add dijon mustard to a small bowl.
- Add sour cream, and crushed garlic.
- Whisk to combine.
- Remove from heat and pace on serving platter..
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with garlic dijon dip. Serve each chicken cordon bleu cut in half. Enjoy!
D_MANN
Just curious…. Are the minced onions, in the panko, fresh onions or from a jar of dehydrated minced onions? Does it even really matter? Thanks.
Karin and Ken
It definitely matters! Thank you for correcting my error! Dehydrated work beautifully. I can’t thank you enough! Enjoy this recipe! Take care. Karin
D_MANN
Karin and Ken. Thanks for the reply and the clarification. I see you have updated the recipe. But just so you know, you added dehydrated to the garlic, instead of the onions. 🙂 -D_MANN
Karin and Ken
I have to tell you I just had the most amazing laugh at myself and I can’t thank you enough. Life has been crazy as of late and I can’t apologize enough for my errors. As always I’m so grateful you took the time to let me know. This chicken is a personal favorite of mine and I hope you enjoy it if you ever get to try it! 💕 I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. All the best. Karin
Jenifer
First off, just made this dish for my husband who loves Chicken Cordon Bleu. Turned out fantastic and is now his favorite dish that I have made.
Second, to respond to the troll who posted about there being “blue cheese” in the recipe:
The traditional dish is essentially just meat wrapped around cheese and breaded. According to the Smithsonian, the name “cordon Bleu” comes from:
From 1578 to 1789, it was the most exclusive order in France and each of its members were awarded with the Cross of the Holy Spirit, which hung from a blue ribbon known as Le Cordon Bleu.
So boom, there’s your research.
Fantastic recipe sweetheart. I will keep this for the rest of my life.
Karin and Ken
I can’t thank you enough 💕 My husband requests this recipe regularly. I’m glad you have another recipe for your rotation. All the best. Karin
Anonymous
That last comment was crazy rude. It’s meat and cheese! You’re not wrong. Woof. You are great and this recipe is great. Thank you.
Karin and Ken
Thank you for your kind words! 💕 I love this recipe too! Be well. Karin
Smarter than you
Cordon bleu is made with blue cheese. You made cordon swiss. If you want to sound like a Diva do some research first.
Karin and Ken
I will let my mom know when she gets out of hospital! A least I can fix my error before she gets home. Thank you. Honestly, I thought I was correct! Hopefully you at least love the chicken. I think it’s delicious! Take care, Patrick (Karin’s Son)