Why You’ll Love This these Crispy Mini Chicken Cordon Bleu
These bite-sized beauties pack all the fancy flavors of classic chicken cordon bleu into perfect little two-bite portions that’ll make your dinner guests think you spent way more time in the kitchen than you actually did.
The crispy golden exterior gives way to tender, seasoned chicken that’s been lovingly wrapped around melty Swiss cheese and smoky ham, creating that irresistible cheese pull moment we all secretly live for.
Plus, to be frank, anything you can pop in your mouth without needing a knife and fork automatically wins points in my book, especially when it tastes this ridiculously good.
Ingredients List
Let’s gather up everything you need to turn your kitchen into a mini cordon bleu factory.
- 9 ounces ground chicken
- 1/4 cup cooked ham, diced
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 8 ounces swiss cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- Oil for frying
Now, about the health factor—let’s be real here:
- The ground chicken keeps things leaner than traditional breaded chicken breasts, so that’s a win
- You’re still deep frying these little nuggets of joy, which obviously isn’t doing your waistline any favors
- The cheese and ham bring their usual suspects of sodium and saturated fat to the party
- But honestly, life’s too short to skip the cheese pull, and these are perfect for portion control since they’re naturally bite-sized
Step by Step Directions
Get ready to transform simple ingredients into golden, cheese-filled bites that’ll make your taste buds do a happy dance.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Mix the ground chicken, diced ham, and egg in a large bowl until everything’s well combined
- Gradually add breadcrumbs to the mixture until it’s no longer sticky and you can easily shape it into balls
- Take portions of the chicken mixture and form them around each Swiss cheese cube, creating 2-inch balls
- Place the formed balls on a plate
- Heat 1½ inches of oil in a deep skillet until it reaches 350°F
- Fry the balls for about 4 minutes until they’re golden brown on all sides
- Remove from oil and drain on paper towels
- Transfer the drained balls to a baking dish
- Bake for 20 minutes until cooked through and the cheese inside is melted and soft
- Let them cool briefly before serving to avoid molten cheese burns
For restaurants and commercial kitchens serving these treats regularly, a professional deep fryer can maintain consistent oil temperature and handle larger batches more efficiently than stovetop frying.
Substitutions and Variations
- Mini version: Make them bite-sized using smaller cheese cubes and form 1-inch balls. Perfect for parties, though you’ll need to adjust cooking time to about 15 minutes in the oven
- Herb boost: Mix in some fresh thyme, sage, or parsley with the chicken mixture. Dried herbs work too, just use half the amount
- Spicy kick: A pinch of cayenne or some finely diced jalapeños mixed into the chicken adds heat without overwhelming the delicate flavors
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
These crispy little nuggets of heaven practically beg for some tasty companions on the plate.
- Creamy mashed potatoes – Because what doesn’t go better with crispy chicken than fluffy, buttery spuds that soak up all those delicious drippings.
- Simple green salad – Something light and fresh cuts through all that cheesy richness, plus you can pretend you’re being healthy.
- Roasted asparagus or green beans – Toss them with a little garlic and olive oil, roast until they get those gorgeous caramelized edges.
- Honey mustard or ranch dipping sauce – I mean, technically these bites are already perfect, but sometimes you just want to dip things, you know.
- Buttery dinner rolls – If you’re going full comfort food mode, might as well commit completely.
- Steamed broccoli with lemon – The bright citrus really makes the swiss cheese pop, and again, vegetables make everything seem more balanced.
- Rice pilaf or wild rice – Something nutty and textured that won’t compete with the star of the show but adds substance to the meal.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
Getting these little golden beauties just right takes a few sneaky tricks that make all the difference.
- Keep that oil temperature steady – I know, I know, constantly checking feels obsessive, but if it drops below 350, you’ll end up with greasy, sad little balls instead of crispy perfection.
- Don’t skip the breadcrumb gradual addition – Dump them all in at once and you’ll either have concrete hockey pucks or a mushy mess that won’t hold together, and neither option makes anyone happy.
- Form the balls with slightly damp hands – Keeps the mixture from sticking to your fingers like some kind of chicken cement, plus you can actually shape them properly instead of wrestling with the mixture.
- Make sure those cheese cubes are cold – Room temperature cheese will start melting before the outside gets crispy, which means cheese leakage and a very cranky cook.
- Give them space in the oil – Crowding the pan drops the temperature and makes them stick together like some kind of chicken blob monster.
- Test doneness with a meat thermometer – The outside might look gorgeous and golden, but you want that internal temp at 165 degrees because nobody wants to serve raw chicken, even if it’s wrapped around delicious cheese.
- Let them rest for a few minutes after baking – The cheese inside is basically molten lava, and your guests will thank you for not giving them third-degree burns on their tongues.
Nutritional Facts
Each bite-sized morsel packs a surprising nutritional punch along with all that crispy, cheesy goodness.
- Calories: 85-95 per bite
- Protein: 8-9 grams (thanks to that chicken and cheese combo)
- Total Fat: 5-6 grams (mostly from the cheese and frying oil)
- Saturated Fat: 2-3 grams
- Carbohydrates: 3-4 grams (mainly from the breadcrumbs)
- Fiber: Less than 1 gram
- Sugar: Less than 1 gram
- Sodium: 180-220 mg (the ham and cheese are the culprits here)
- Cholesterol: 25-30 mg
- Calcium: 80-100 mg (hello, Swiss cheese!)
- Iron: 0.5-1 mg
*Note: Nutritional values are estimates and can vary based on specific brands used and exact portion sizes. Deep frying will increase the overall calorie and fat content compared to baking alternatives.*
Fun “Did You Know?”
Swiss cheese wasn’t actually invented in Switzerland—it originated in the Emmental region, but American cheesemakers perfected the holes that are recognized and loved today through a specific bacterial fermentation process.
I find it fascinating that Chicken Cordon Bleu translates to “blue ribbon chicken” in French, earning its name from the prestigious culinary award.
The dish actually started as a schnitzel variation before evolving into the ham-and-cheese-stuffed chicken that’s known today.
When you bite into these mini versions, you’re experiencing a recipe that’s traveled across continents and transformed from fine dining into accessible comfort food for your kitchen.
