Baked Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu
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Baked Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu. Chicken Cordon bleu is definitely a French idea but this recipe interprets it with some great Italian flavours in a baked version that helps reduce the fat too.
This Italian inspired chicken cordon bleu version is the kind of dish that I like to serve at dinner parties. This reason is simply because it can be prepared well in advance and then popped into the oven before your guests arrive.
These were large breasts and still only took about an hour to cook completely. I use a meat thermometer to test the centre.
While poultry is generally well cooked at 185 degrees F, I almost always cook these to 175.
Because the centre is not chicken, but cheese, at 175 degrees F the provolone is melted perfectly while the chicken is not dried out.
I also like to serve this particular stuffed chicken breast with Roasted Tomato Jam. That link will also include another recipe for a lower fat baked version of Chicken Parmesan.
To lower the fat content even more substitute extra lean ham and low fat cheese for the filling; still an outstanding meal.
Looking for more tasty chicken dinner ideas like this Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu?
Be sure to check out this newly updated collection of Our Top Ten Chicken Dinners from more than a decade online. These have been made literally millions of times and get the best reviews from our followers.
An economical approach
NOTE: I like to debone my own chicken breasts so that I can roast the bones and skins for stock later. I freeze them until I have enough to cover a baking sheet then use the instructions in my post on making Chicken Stock here.Originally published May 2011.
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Baked Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu
Baked Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu. Chicken Cordon bleu is definitely a French idea but this recipe interprets it with some great Italian flavours.
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken breasts, butterfly cut
- 6 ounces provolone cheese
- 2 cloves finely minced garlic
- 1 ½ cups, bread, cracker or cornflake crumbs
- 2 tablespoon dried mixed Italian herbs
- 6 ounces thinly sliced capicola ham
- egg wash, 2 eggs + 2 tablespoon water whisked together
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Butterfly cut each chicken breast by placing it on a cutting board and slicing it in half horizontally. Cut toward the longest side of the triangle shaped breast. Do not cut all the way trough. Stop about a half inch from the edge and open up the chicken breast so that it has doubled in surface area.
- Lay each butterflied chicken breast flat.
- Season with salt and pepper on both sides and rub ½ clove minced garlic on the inside surface of the meat.
- Cut the provolone cheese into 4 sticks and wrap each one in 1 ½ ounces capicola.
- Place the ham and cheese in the center of the flattened chicken and fold all sides of the breast meat toward the center to overlap.
- Flip the breast over so that the overlapped edges are on the bottom.
- Mix the crumbs with the Italian herbs.
- Dip the stuffed chicken breast into the egg-wash and then into the seasoned crumbs.
- Place fold side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an 50 to 60 minutes or until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 175-185 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
- Serve with Roasted Tomato Jam and a side of Orzo Spinach Prima Vera.
Notes
4 large chicken breasts, butterfly cut
6 ounces provolone cheese
2 cloves finely minced garlic
1 ½ cups, bread, cracker or cornflake crumbs
2 tablespoon dried mixed Italian herbs
6 ounces thinly sliced capicola ham
egg wash, 2 eggs + 2 tablespoon water whisked together
salt and pepper to season
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Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
gAmount Per Serving Calories 750Total Fat 33gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 280mgSodium 1786mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 86g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
This recipe sounds delicious, loving the use of provolone cheese too which is available here in Spain. May have to adapt the recipe though to incorporate serrano ham!
loveddddddd this recipe!
i have a suggestion though. after putting the cheese & ham in the chicken, try wrapping up the chicken breasts in parchment/wax paper & put them in the fridge for 1 hour-1 1/2 hour. it helps the chicken stick to itself so they aren't so hard to handle or keep together. =]
Excellent tip!
This recipe was really good. I have actually made it a couple of times for my family since I found it and it has always been a huge hit!! I like that they can be made in advance, which I did once for an upcoming party and it worked out perfectly.
These look so delicious. I plan to make them this week. I hope it turns out well. I will follow the directions to a tee to make sure it does. Thanks for sharing.
I found inspiration on Taste spotting from this recipe there! I used prosciutto and mozzarella to suit my husbands tastes... and it was amazing!!!!!
I look forward to trying more of your recipes ... they all look so delicious!
I like to make something similar, chicken breasts butterflied, with broccoli Florette and vegetable Havarti cheese in the center, then wrap in precheutto. It's also very yummy!!!
I'm sorry, I'm curious what's capicola? You maybe mean capocollo? Chiara 🙂
Great recipe! I just used deli ham, but it still tasted delicious
Good stuff Tom! As you must know, any good recipe is just jumping off point for inspiration! Thanks for sharing.
Made this for a dinner party last night, served with the roasted tomato jam and orzo...all of it was fantastic!!! Tasted great and not much work! Cheese wasn't as melty/runny as I remember having before (like your pic) but maybe that's because I used swiss instead of provolone.
You are my absolute favourite go to person for any recipe I want to make. I have made a plethora
of your recipes and never have I been disappointed. Keep up the excellent work. Carol
What type of crumb mixture do you use to coat the chicken?
That's included in the recipe, but our family prefers cornflake crumbs.