I’ve come up with a way to make Chicken Cordon Bleu that’s super-easy, by stacking the ingredients instead of stuffing them. And even better, now you can make it your air fryer!
Chicken Cordon Bleu is a classic and there’s a good reason why—it’s delicious! Traditionally, it’s pounded chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, then breaded, then pan-fried. What’s not to like, right? Except for maybe the pounding, the stuffing, the breading, and the frying!
But there’s good news. I’ve figured out a way to make a delicious chicken cordon bleu with way less effort. It’s all the flavors without all the work. (And I even give it a little extra flavor by adding sliced tomato.)
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
What Is Chicken Cordon Bleu?
The name “cordon bleu” translates into “blue ribbon.” As you know, calling something blue ribbon is a way of saying it’s high-quality or special. So it’s no surprise that this very special recipe should have the name that it does.
(Fun fact! The term “blue ribbon” came about because blue ribbons were once worn by the highest order of knights.)
As I mentioned, the traditional way to make cordon bleu is to pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet until they’re flattened, then stuff them with ham and cheese, then dredge and add breading, and then pan-fry them. But I’ve found I can make it much simpler by just stacking the ingredients and then cooking the stacks right in my air fryer.
Easier Methods For Chicken Cordon Bleu
I’ll be honest, I really don’t ever make this dish the classic way. That’s because I’ve found easier ways to accomplish the great flavor with way less effort.
In the oven, I like to make Chicken Cordon Bleu stacks. Essentially stacking the ingredients together instead of flattening the chicken thighs or breasts and then rolling everything together. I start the stack with a slice of ham. It provides a bit of a barrier between the cheese and the cooking surface, making it all less likely to stick. Then I top the ham with chicken, cheese, and tomatoes.
I also have a variation on that recipe that allows you to start with frozen chicken breasts. A total dinner saver when you forget to take meat out of the freezer!
Today though, I want to show you how to make this tasty chicken recipe in the air fryer.
Ingredients
A couple of things to note about the recipe. It uses chicken thighs, which I like because they keep things nice and juicy. And boneless, skinless thighs can be unrolled into a relatively flat, single piece of thicken.
If, however, you prefer to use boneless, skinless breasts you totally can—just cut them into smaller pieces to fit on the ham slices and/or pound them so they’re an even thickness (learn how to pound chicken breasts in this post).
I also use sliced deli ham and Swiss cheese, but you could use prosciutto and Gruyere, or any other cheese you like cut into slices. And did I mention the tomatoes are optional?
Making Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu
If you have an air fryer, you know that it’s pretty amazing because it can cook so many things. So I tried my stacked Cordon Bleu and it totally works. It’s a little quicker, but of course the air fryer basket has less space than the oven, so the amount you need to make may determine which method is best for you.
Make the breadcrumb mixture by combining the panko, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Set aside for now. Unlike my oven method, I don’t add the seasoned panko mixture just yet—in the air fryer it can get too browned before the chicken is cooked through. So instead I add the panko mixture halfway through the cooking time and everything comes out perfect!
Lay the 4 slices of ham out a work surface, baking sheet, or cookie sheet in a non-overlapping layer. Take a chicken thigh and unroll it so that it is a flat, single-layered piece. Put it on top of one of the slices of ham. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
Top each chicken thigh with a slice of cheese, like I mentioned, I use Swiss cheese here. If using the optional tomato, lay two tomato slices over each piece of cheese. The tomato can overlap a bit if needed to make it fit.
Arrange the chicken stacks in the air fryer tray without overlapping. You may need to work in batches.
Set the temperature to 400°F and air fry for 6 minutes. Then top each chicken stack with one quarter of the bread crumb mixture and continue cooking for an additional 6 to 8 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F.
More Air Fryer Recipes With Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
- Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Recipe
- Air Fryer Chicken Milanese
- Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer
Enjoy! – Christine xo
Podcast Episode: Making Chicken Cordon Bleu
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this chicken, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Easy Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Swiss
DESCRIPTION
I’ve come up with a way to make Chicken Cordon Bleu that’s super-easy, by stacking the ingredients instead of stuffing them. And even better, now you can make it your air fryer!
Don’t forget that you can use chicken breasts instead of thighs if you prefer, you can use prosciutto instead of ham, and you can use any kind sliced cheese.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 4 (1 oz.) slices ham
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or 2 large chicken breasts cut in half)
- 4 (1 oz.) slices Swiss cheese
- 1 large tomato, sliced (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl combine the panko, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Lay the 4 slices of ham out a work surface, baking sheet, or cookie sheet in a non-overlapping layer.
- Take a chicken thigh and unroll it so that it is a flat single-layered piece. Put it on top of one of the slices of ham. Repeat with the remaining chicken thighs.
- Top each chicken thigh with a slice of cheese.
- If using, lay two tomato slices over each piece of cheese, overlapping the tomato slices slightly if needed to make them fit onto the chicken.
- Working in batches if necessary, arrange the stacks in the air fryer tray without overlapping.
- Set the temperature to 400°F and cook for 6 minutes.
- Top each chicken stack with one quarter of the bread crumb mixture and continue cooking for 6 to 8 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the chicken registers 165°F.
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This post originally appeared in July 2021 and was revised and republished in June 2023.
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