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4.75 stars (128 ratings)Mar 26, 2018 109
You may never want to mess with fancy chicken cordon bleu after making this amazing unstuffed sheet pan chicken cordon bleu (with roasted broccoli)! Plus, it’ll be on the table FAST!
To say we loved this meal would be an understatement.
More like: we devoured this. We fought over this. Some of us may have even shed happy tears over this.
Whilst eating, my 10-year old said, “Mom this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.”
And this is from the kid who went a year without sweets and has just recently been reintroduced to chocolate. Which means this chicken (and broccoli!) totally trumped the shocking amount of treats he’s been eating to make up for lost time.
So, yeah, high praise for unstuffed sheet pan chicken cordon bleu.
I have nothing against traditional chicken cordon bleu. I love it, in fact. It’s probably one my favorite meals in terms of classic, delicious flavor.
I even have a super easy (and super popular) chicken cordon bleu recipe here that channels a bit of the “unstuffed” theme we have going on today.
And because I can’t be stopped, here are several other twists on cordon bleu if you’d like to further your cordon bleu education. Yum, yum.
But today’s recipe takes chicken cordon bleu and elevates the simplicity to a whole new level.
Unstuffed, yes, meaning you don’t have to fuss with getting cheese and ham anywhereinside the chicken. But also, it’s a sheet pan dinner (woot, woot!), which means your side dish cooks right alongside the chicken.
You know I have to say it. I’m just going to say it: winner, winner, chicken dinner.
The flavor of this unstuffed sheet pan chicken cordon bleu is crazy good, especially considering how simple it is! I mean, the crumbled Ritz crackers on top don’t hurt anything, of course.
But the flavor of the dish as a whole is top notch.
I* used Gruyere cheese, but Swiss cheese can also be used (it will melt a bit more than the Gruyere). *And by “I,” I mean Brian.
He whipped this up a couple Sundays ago after he beat us home from church, and I wanted to weep at the combo of: dinner made FOR me + legit deliciousness.
I did my part and threw together our tried-and-true simple drop biscuits sprinkling some of Trader Joe’s Everything Bagel seasoning over the top before baking. They would have stolen the show (SO good) except seriously, that chicken!
We couldn’t stop raving about it. Sheet pan chicken cordon bleu for a huge win.
What To Serve With This:
Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
Cheesy Bacon and Garlic Smashed Potatoes
One Year Ago:Easy Pull-Apart Italian Asiago Bubble Bread
Two Years Ago: Asiago Herb Dinner Rolls
Three Years Ago: Lemon Sticky Buns with Lemony Cream Cheese Glaze
Four Years Ago: Fluffy Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
Five Years Ago:Sweet Baked Ham
Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu with Roasted Broccoli
Yield: 5 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins
4.75 stars (128 ratings)
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds broccoli, cut into spears/thin wedges (see pictures in the post for a visual)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (4-5 breasts), pounded to 1/4-inch thick or cut in half to form two thinner cutlets (see note)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 to 8 slices deli ham, exact amount depends on brand/size of slices
- 1 cup (114 g) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
- ¾ cup Ritz crackers (about 15), coarsely crushed
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Make sure an oven rack is in the lower-middle position. Brush a large, rimmed baking sheet (about 11X18-inches) with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Toss the broccoli with the remaining tablespoon of oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt), and a pinch of black pepper.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts side-by-side on one side of the prepared baking sheet (to help them fit, you can alternate thicker end to thinner end as you lay them down). Placing them close together (without overlapping) will help the cheese stay put as they bake.
Spread the mustard lightly over the top of each chicken piece. Top with 1 to 2 slices ham to cover and then add 1/4 cup or so of the shredded cheese evenly across the top.
Sprinkle the cracker crumbs evenly over the cheese, and press lightly so the crumbs aren’t loose.
Arrange the broccoli in a single layer on the opposite side of the baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes until the chicken registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer and the broccoli is roasted and tender. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the chicken. If the chicken still needs more time but the broccoli looks like it is finished, scoop the broccoli off the sheet pan onto a plate and lightly tent with foil while the chicken finishes cooking.
I recommend removing the chicken as soon as the sheet pan comes out of the oven so it doesn’t sit in the liquid that will naturally pool on the bottom of the sheet pan.
Notes
Chicken: for this recipe, you definitely want chicken breasts that are on the thinner side of things so they cook quickly. I usually buy the thin-cut chicken breasts in the freezer bags at Costco, but you can easily make thinner chicken pieces from chicken breasts you already have on hand. Just slice thick chicken breasts in half (like you would cutting open a hamburger bun) to form two thinner chicken breasts/cutlets. You’ll want about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of chicken total for this recipe.
Increasing the Quantity: there are seven people in my family, so for this recipe, I increased the quantities by half and baked on two sheet pans.
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 463kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 47g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 128mg, Sodium: 791mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g
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Recipe Source:adapted slightly from ATK Quick Family Cookbook{affiliate link for the book}
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posted on March 26, 2018 (last updated October 14, 2022)
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Michelle — Reply
Love this! I used pre-cut chicken cutlets available in my grocery store. I assembled everything right on the sheet pan and kind of tossed the broccoli around with a spatula before roasting. I used deli sliced Swiss cheese and thin-sliced deli ham. This was done in 20 minutes for me and my Ritz crumbs didn’t burn. I made Parmesan orzo on the side of this, but it was mostly for the kids. The chicken/broccoli is a great combo all on it’s own.
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linda m pallies — Reply
can I cook them frozen?
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linda m pallies — Reply
I have the bought Costco thin chicken breasts – can I cook them frozen?
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Mel — Reply
I’d recommend cooking them thawed – they’ll put off quite a bit more liquid if cooking them from frozen and may not cook evenly.
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Joy — Reply
We loved this so much. I used sliced Swiss because our store didn’t have shredded and I was too lazy to shred it myself. The sliced cheese stayed on the ham and chicken super easily!
10/10 for our family! Thanks Mel – you are the best! -
Shannon — Reply
This is one of my all time favorite recipes! My husband always joked about requesting chicken cordon bleu for dinner because it was so difficult to make! This makes it a breeze and is one of our family favorites! We’re having it for Father’s Day today! Thank you Mel!
Rating: 5
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Michelle G. — Reply
This was dinner last night and it was delicious! I loved how quick and hands off this was to make. While we were eating, I told me husband that this was so easy to make that I was probably going to have him make it for dinner on Mother’s Day. 😀
Rating: 5
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Lindsey — Reply
Excellent! Super easy and loved by all from toddlers to college age to adults. We love Mel’s other easy chicken cordon bleu, so we did make the Parmesan-Dijon sauce from that recipe (yum!) as well for those who can’t live without it, but this recipe is fantastic on it’s own, too. We tripled the recipe and made some with gruyere cheese and some with Swiss cheese. Both were delicious, but if you can get it, go with gruyere…as Mel said, the combination of flavors is amazing!
Rating: 5
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Kristine — Reply
Making this tonight! Could I use mozzarella cheese?
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Mel — Reply
I haven’t tried that, but you could definitely try (mozzarella is a bit stringier when melted than Swiss, but it should probably work ok!)
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Stephanie DeFilippis — Reply
So easy! Everyone loved it! Thanks Mel!!!
Rating: 5
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Stephanie DeFilippis — Reply
Also I didnt want to heat up the house so I set the pan on the grill and cooked it out there! It was perfect.
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Susan Easterbrooks — Reply
this sounds delicious and easy — w/o rolling the chicken around ham and cheese
My question ? –can i use provolone cheese – ?
I have lots in freezer right nowRating: 4.5
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Mel — Reply
Sure!
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Heather — Reply
Made it this weekend. Definitely a keeper. I had chicken tenderloins, and it still worked out great. Thanks for another great recipe!
Rating: 5
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anne — Reply
I always come back to Mel for tasty, healthy easy recipes. This one is a total keeper!
Rating: 5
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Mary Ann — Reply
It doesn’t appear your print button on this page is working. I have clicked it several times and it just brings me back to the top of the page.
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Mama LaLa — Reply
We have made this once every 10 days and it is amazing! Love how easy it is and our kids love it. Such a keeper and now has a place in the weekly rotation.
Rating: 5
