Cordon Bleu Schnitzel

Easy cordon bleu schnitzel with chicken breast, baked in the oven, crunchy and oozing with cheese, delicious and less fussy to make.

Schnitzel with Ham and Cheese

Cordon bleu schnitzel filled with ham and cheese, baked in the oven, and served hot with potato wedges and salad. A perfect meal for us! But this is a healthier and easier version, made with chicken breasts filled with ham and cheese, coated in breadcrumbs, and baked instead of fried.

What is cordon bleu?

Stuffed meat fillets usually made with thin fillets of veal or pork, filled with cheese and ham, breaded and deep-fried. Usually, you will have a thick roll oozing with melting cheese and crispy due to that fried breadcrumb coating. An easier version would be to fill a smaller piece of meat with ham and cheese, bread the meat, then pan-fry it. Still using lots of oil, even if you are not deep frying.

How to make quicker and easier cordon bleu schnitzel?

This is my version of a cordon bleu: a healthier, cheaper, quicker, easier. Taste? Amazing!!!

Healthier:

• There is no deep-frying involved, the cordon bleu schnitzel is baked in the oven.
• Also, I am using chicken, which is always a healthier alternative when it comes to meat.

Cheaper:

• Veal would be pretty healthy too, but veal is expensive and very difficult to find.
• Plus, many people (my mother-in-law, for instance) don’t eat veal on the ground of its being a baby cow. Well, chicken is also baby chicken, so I really don’t see the point behind that reasoning…
• Less oil involved makes this cordon bleu recipe cheaper as well.

Quicker and easier:

• The stuffed rolls served in good restaurants look amazing, but they are not something I would like to make at home often. For guests, maybe, but otherwise I go for the easier and quicker version.
• Instead of butterflying the meat, making a large and maybe unstable roll, securing it with toothpicks all over, and having to check the temperature of the frying oil, I take the easy route.
• Cut the chicken breast making sure they still hold on at one side, pound shortly, fill, and bread.
• Bake in the oven. That’s it!

Cutting the chicken breasts:

• You will need smaller breasts to make this recipe, those I normally use weigh about 150 g/ 5.3 oz each.
• Cut in half and make two stuffed chicken pieces out of each breast, so a total of 8.
• You can decide if you will then have 4 or 8 servings. I recommend two pieces for each adult and 1 for each child.
• Cut the chicken breasts across in half.
• Slice each half in the middle, making sure that the meat is still connected at one side.
• Open up the breast and tenderize it with a meat mallet or a heavy saucepan.
• Place one piece of ham and one of cheese on one side of the meat. Make sure that the cheese and ham slices are slightly smaller than the meat, this way, not too much cheese will ooze out.
• Fold the other side of the breast over the filling. Press lightly to make sure they hold together.
• You can secure the pockets with a toothpick if you are anxious that they will not hold. However, I never did it and everything always worked fine. A small amount of cheese will always ooze out, but not too much.

Crumbing the chicken:

• Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Mix the oil and the sweet paprika powder in a small bowl.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and brush it with the oil-sweet paprika mixture.
• Place the flour on a large plate.
• Lightly beat the eggs in a shallow bowl. Add the lemon zest and some gratings of nutmeg.
• Place the breadcrumbs on another large plate.
• Coat the chicken in flour and pat carefully over the sink to remove the excess flour.
• Dip in the eggs and hold shortly over the bowl to allow the excess egg to drip off.
• Coat in the breadcrumbs.
• Place on the prepared baking tray.
• Brush lightly with some of the oil-sweet paprika mixture, reserve the rest of the oil for later.

Bake:

• Bake for about 7-8 minutes in the preheated oven.
• Flip.
• Brush with the remaining paprika oil and bake for another 6-7 minutes or until cooked through.
• If the pieces are larger, adjust the baking time accordingly.

How to serve the stuffed schnitzel?

Our favorite side dish is always oven-baked potato wedges with some chili sauce on the side. And a green salad with yogurt dressing. I never feel like I need to have any sauce with cordon bleu schnitzel, but do make some if you like it.

In spring I often make sauteed asparagus, while in winter I would go for some roasted Brussels sprouts and potatoes.
If I don’t have any fresh veggies, I choose to make French-style green beans or buttered green peas because I always have them in the freezer. Mashed potatoes, garlic noodles, or even rice are suitable side dishes as well.

More crispy chicken?

• Schnitzel in Pancake Batter – This schnitzel in pancake batter is my children’s favorite schnitzel.
• Schnitzel with Potato Crust – Tender schnitzel with a crunchy potato-Parmesan crust, you will love them.
• Baked Panko Chicken Breast – Healthy and delicious crispy baked breast with a panko Parmesan crust.
• Chicken Breast Fritters – A Russian recipe, whipped up in no time and bound to make your children (or anyone else) happy.
• McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce with Chicken Nuggets – Our favorite chicken nuggets dipped in a homemade copycat McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce.