Recipe for chicken cordon bleu

A refined recipe for chicken cordon bleu from the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts in Paris.

It’s true origins have never been confirmed, maybe it was first eaten in Switzerland, maybe it was a Lyonnaise chef who created this dish, we may never know. But the term Cordon Bleu. meaning ‘blue ribbon’ in French is a symbol of excellence in cooking, an idea that originated in the 19th century and saw elite chefs attach blue ribbons to their uniforms. No one know why this dish was assigned the name for culinary excellence – other than it’s super delicious!

Serves 10

Active time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 11 minutes
Storage: 3 days

EQUIPMENT

Mallet-style meat pounder

INGREDIENTS

Mesclun greens
1 head baby chicory
1 ¾ oz. (50 g) baby orache or spinach greens
1 ¾ oz. (50 g) baby mizuna greens
⅓ oz. (10 g) red-veined sorrel leaves

Vinaigrette

Generous ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt
2 tbsp (30 ml) aged red wine vinegar
1 ½ tsp (3 g) freshly ground white pepper
Scant ½ cup (100 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Cordon bleu

5 large slices cooked ham
7 oz. (200 g) Cantal
10 boneless chicken breasts
2 cups (9 oz./250 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 g) salt
6 eggs
4 ½ cups (1 lb. 2 oz./500 g) dried white breadcrumbs
Scant ½ cup (100 ml) olive oil
3 tbsp (1 ¾ oz./50 g) butter

METHOD

Preparing the mesclun greens

Cut the chicory into 1 ½-in. (4-cm) pieces and remove the stems from the baby greens. Wash and drain the greens and sorrel leaves and set them aside.

Preparing the vinaigrette

Dissolve the salt in the vinegar in a bowl, then add the white pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.

Preparing the cordon bleu

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4).

Cut the ham slices in half lengthwise. Cut 20 slices of Cantal that are about the same size as the half-slices of ham. Trim any excess fat off the chicken breasts and butterfly them. Using the meat pounder, flatten them between two sheets of plastic wrap until they are twice their original size. Place one slice of Cantal over one-half of each chicken breast, followed by a piece of ham and a second slice of Cantal. Close each chicken breast by folding the uncovered half over the covered half so the edges meet.

Combine the flour and salt in a shallow dish, whisk the eggs in a second dish, and place the breadcrumbs in a third dish. Roll each cordon bleu in the flour, dip in the egg, and coat in the breadcrumbs. Dip in the egg a second time, then in the breadcrumbs again until well coated.

Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet and brown the cordon bleu for 3 minutes on each side. Add the butter, wait for it to foam, then fry for an additional 3 minutes on each side, basting regularly. Transfer the skillet to the oven and finish cooking the cordon bleu for 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

To serve

Combine the greens in a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette just before serving, to avoid the leaves going soggy. Place each cordon bleu on a serving plate with a little salad alongside.

Extracted from Meat, Poultry & Game : Recipes and Techniques from the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts by FERRANDI Paris (Flammarion, 2025).