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Chicken roulade with ham, asparagus, and sauce, served with mixed greens.
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5 from 3 votes

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Asparagus

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Asparagus is our version of the French classic! Crunchy-crusted chicken breasts rolled up with ham, cheese and asparagus spears.  Oven-baked to a crispy golden brown and served with a creamy tarragon sauce. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Chicken Cordon Bleu with Asparagus, chicken stuffed with asparagus
Servings: 4 Servings
Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups Panko breadcrumbs
  • Oil spray
  • Salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • fresh tarragon
  • 4-8 slices deli ham deli style
  • 4-8 slices Gruyère cheese or Swiss cheese
  • 8 asparagus
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • Toothpicks
  • sprigs fresh tarragon for garnish
  • Creamy Tarragon Sauce see recipe

Instructions

For the Breadcrumbs:

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Spread the panko breadcrumbs in an even layer onto the parchment paper and transfer to the oven.  Bake the breadcrumbs for 3-5 minutes until very light golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  (turn off the oven for now)
    Bread crumbs on a baking sheet.

Prepare the Chicken:

  • Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and slice each one in half horizontally for a total of 4 cutlets.
    Slicing a raw chicken breast in half with a large kitchen knife.
  • Working with one cutlet at a time, lay a piece of plastic wrap on the cutting board, place a cutlet on the plastic and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. With a meat mallet, pound the cutlet to a ¼ inch thickness. 
    Thinly pounded raw chicken breast partially covered in wrinkled plastic wrap.
  • Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Distribute the chicken cutlet with tarragon leaves.
    Heart-shaped raw chicken breast with herbs, salt, and pepper on light surface.
  • Add 1 or 2 slices of ham and 1 or 2 slices of cheese over the cutlet, then place 2 asparagus spears at the lower end.
    Raw chicken breast with ham, Swiss cheese, and asparagus on marble.
  • Roll the cutlet around the filling and secure it with a toothpick. Set the rolled cutlet aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining cutlets.
    Raw chicken breast folded over white cheese and asparagus on marble.
  • Set up a 3-dish breading station with flour in the first dish, two lightly beaten eggs in the second dish, and the cooled breadcrumbs in the third dish.  
    Three dishes with ingredients to coat the chicken cordon blue: egg wash, flour, and panko coating.
  • Roll each chicken first in the flour, then the egg mixture, and finally, into the breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs firmly to adhere to the chicken roll.  Slide a toothpick into the chicken to secure the roll.
    As each chicken roll is completed place on a plate.  Cover the plate with plastic wrap and transfer the plate of completed chicken rolls to the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
    Dipping a stuffed chicken breast in flour then egg wash, then panko bread crumbs.

Bake the Chicken:

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the plate of breaded chicken from the refrigerator and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Spray the rolls lightly with oil spray, (this helps to give that nice golden color to the breadcrumbs). 
    Four breaded stuffed jalapeños sit on a baking sheet, ready to bake.
  • Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes to a golden brown.
    Remove the toothpicks and serve with Creamy Tarragon Sauce.

Notes

Chicken prep: Some stores sell pre-sliced chicken breasts, or you can ask the butcher to slice whole breasts into cutlets.
Pound gently: A rolling pin or even a can of vegetables (wrapped in plastic) works if you don’t have a meat mallet. Be careful not to pound holes through the chicken.
Cheese options: Gruyère is classic, but Provolone, Gouda, Mozzarella, or Fontina also melt beautifully.
Chill before baking: Refrigerate the unbaked rolls for at least 15 minutes to help set the breadcrumbs.
Make ahead: Rolls can be assembled up to 4 hours in advance and kept refrigerated until ready to bake.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 610kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 202mg | Sodium: 861mg | Potassium: 710mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 660IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 359mg | Iron: 5mg
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