Flavorful, juicy chicken stuffed with cheese and ham and a crisp breadcrumb crust, what's not to love? Learn how to make Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu with this easy to follow recipe.
| Prep Time | Inactive Time | Cook Time | Total Time | Servings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 mins | 30+ mins | 12 mins | 57 mins | 4 |
👍🏻 Recipe Features
- Healthy(er)! The air fryer (affiliate) delivers awesome chicken cordon bleu bombs without calories that come with deep frying. This is a much more heart friendly version of this recipe.
- Amazing textures. The breadcrumb crust really comes out crisp, while the inside of the chicken remains juicy, cheesy and warm. In just 12 quick minutes, you get evenly cooked, delicious chicken.
🐔 Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast. Each breast is sliced in half butterfly style, creating two servings for each breast.
- Kosher salt and black pepper. A pinch on each per breast helps to bring the flavors to life.
- Yellow mustard. A little bit of tang that helps keep your chicken extra juicy as it cooks.
- Sliced ham. Deli style, no extra added flavors here (like honey roasted, for instance). Just the standard ham sliced on the thin side does the job.
- Sliced swiss cheese. Again, no bells and whistles here, just our standard deli slices work perfectly.
- Egg. You'll mix an egg with a 1 Tbsp of cold water to create your egg wash, which helps provide the crisp crust we're going for.
- Italian Breadcrumbs. Plain breadcrumbs work as well, but I like the ease of the added herbs in the italian breadcrumbs.
- Grated parmesan cheese. Mix it into your breadcrumbs for a little bit of cheesy sharpness in your crust.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1
Butterfly slice the chicken breast horizontally, so that you have 4 thin chicken fillets. Place each chicken piece between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to ¼ inch thickness with a meat mallet. Pounding the chicken thinly helps to achieve a tender and even cook. Repeat with all 4 fillets and lay with the rougher side facing up.
Step 2
Season chicken with a light amount of kosher salt and black pepper. Squirt each chicken breast with a thin line of yellow mustard and spread it edge to edge with a gloved finger or back of a spoon.
Break up 2 slices of swiss cheese per breast, and arrange so it sits in a flat layer edge to edge. Next, do the same with a single slice of ham. Try to keep the ham and cheese from hanging past the edge of the chicken, and it will just melt off into the air fryer when it cooks.
Step 3
Roll the chicken tightly from bottom to top. Then, place each rolled chicken on a large sheet of cling wrap. Roll the wrap around the chicken, leaving plenty of excess cling wrap on each side.
Twist the excess cling wrap in opposite directions, forming two small tails on each side. Continue twisting until chicken is wrapped into a tight ball. Repeat with remaining breasts and place wrapped chicken in fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
This step helps the chicken hold it's shape and keeps it from unfolding during cooking. The result is evenly cooked, juicy chicken, so don't skip this step!
Step 4
Preheat air fryer to 400°. Prepare two bowls for breading. In the first bowl beat egg with cold water to form an egg wash. In the second bowl, combine italian breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese.
To bread chicken, remove from wrap and roll first in the egg wash, covering all surfaces. Lift chicken up and let excess egg drip back into the bowl.
Transfer the chicken to the breadcrumb bowl. Roll it gently, then use a spoon to cover the top of the chicken with the breadcrumb. Stand the chicken on the end and cover each side as well. Place on a pan and repeat with remaining chicken.
Step 5
Place preheated chicken in the air fryer basket, making sure to leave space between them to avoid overcrowding. Cook for 6 minutes, then open basket and flip chicken over. Cook for 6 minutes more, until breadcrumbs have browned nicely and chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from a basket and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
💭 Top Tip
This makes for a great prep-ahead dinner. If you know you need a quick dinner one night, this is a great recipe to prep the day ahead of time. Simply follow the steps below up to the point where you wrap the stuffed chicken and place it in the fridge. Leave it there overnight, then bread it, air fry it and enjoy for a quick meal the next day!
🎥 Video
🍽 Equipment
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Buy Now →👨🏻🍳 Dijon Sauce (Optional)
An option here is to make a dijon sauce to serve overtop your chicken. To prepare:
- Warm 2 cups of milk either in the microwave or in a small pot (affiliate).
- Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a second pot. Add 2 Tbsp of flour and mix together. Cook for about a minute to cook out the flour taste. Using a small ladle, whisk in milk one ladle at a time.
- As sauce nears desired consistency, whisk in 2 Tbsp of dijon mustard. Mix until evenly distributed and remove from heat. S eason with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over cooked chicken and enjoy!
🥗 Side Dishes
I love a nice green vegetable for a meal like this. Something like sauteed green beans or roasted brussels sprouts. Or, keep things simple with a Kale Ceasar Salad kit (affiliate) or some simple roasted broccoli with salt and pepper. Green veggies are really your go-to here.
⏰ Time
If you're making Air Fryer (affiliate) Chicken Cordon Bleu beginning to end in one night, it comes together in just under an hour. The longest step is letting the chicken rest in the fridge for 30 minutes after stuffing it and wrapping it tightly. But that's a critical step that can't be skipped.
The actual cook takes 12 minutes total, 6 on one side, then a quick flip and 6 minutes more. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes to allow the chicken to relax and re-absorb it's juices before serving. This is a great time to make the optional dijon sauce listed above.
🌡 Temperature
A 400° cook delivers the best mix of a crisp crust and juicy inner side that perfectly melts your cheese. Just make sure to preheat the air fryer before beginning your cook. This ensures an even cook and gives you the best results.
🥘 Related Recipes
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Yellow Rice | Arroz Con Pollo
Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Total Time: 57 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Traditional chicken stuffed with ham and swiss cheese, but cooked to juicy perfection with a crisp breadcrumb crust in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 8 slices swiss cheese
- 4 slices ham
- 1 egg, mixed with 1 tbsp water for egg wash
- 1 cup italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prep
- Butterfly slice the boneless skinless chicken breast horizontally, so that you have 4 thin chicken fillets. Place each fillet between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until chicken is evenly pressed to ¼ inch thick.
- Season inside of chicken fillet with a light amount of kosher salt and black pepper. Spread yellow mustard overtop with a gloved finger or back of a spoon. Break up 2 slices of swiss cheese per breast, and arrange so it sits in a flat layer edge to edge. Next, do the same with a single slice of ham.
- Roll the chicken breast tightly vertically from the more narrow edge toward the top. Place onto a large piece of plastic cling wrap. Roll the chicken in the wrap, leaving excess wrap on each side. Twist the edges of the wrap in opposite directions, slowly pressing the chicken into a tight cylinder. Tuck the twisted edged under the chicken and place it on a pan. Repeat with remaining breasts and place wrapped chicken in fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
Cook
- Preheat air fryer to 400°. Prepare two bowls for breading. In the first bowl beat egg with cold water to form an egg wash. In the second bowl, combine italian breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese.
- To bread chicken, remove from wrap and roll first in the egg wash, covering all surfaces. Lift chicken up and let excess egg drip back into the bowl. Transfer the chicken to the breadcrumb bowl. Roll it gently, then use a spoon to cover the top of the chicken with the breadcrumbs and gently press to help it to adhere to the chicken. Stand the chicken on the end and cover each side. Place on a pan and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Place preheated chicken in the air fryer basket, making sure to leave space between them to avoid overcrowding. Cook for 6 minutes, then open basket and flip chicken over. Cook for 6 minutes more, until breadcrumbs have browned nicely and chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from a basket and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe contains Amazon affiliate links. We may make a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking one of these links.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Swiss
Keywords: Air Fryer Chicken, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Easy dinner recipes