German Chicken Cordon Bleu (Oma's Hähnchenrouladen)

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares German recipes rooted in family tradition.

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Oma's Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe ~ Hähnchenrouladen

Does a chicken cordon bleu recipe, aka hähnchenrouladen, sound difficult? Try my easy German version and impress your guests! Hey, don't just wait for company. Your family will love this too! 

If you're looking for great dinner ideas for company and want German chicken recipes, you may not think about Cordon Bleu.

To me, it always sounded very extravagant and very expensive and very French and very difficult. And it really didn't sound like any German food I knew.

However, it's really nothing more than the very German rouladen made with chicken breast. And, doing it this easy way, you don't even have to pound the chicken breast to make it thin.

Just cut a pocket inside and stuff. However, if you want, you can pound it and then roll it up with the ham and cheese. That's how I did it in the photo above.

There is, however, an easy way to make this. One that even kids can make. And that's the one I'm showing below. It's the one that Lydia, my granddaughter, made when she was 12 years old. 

Yes, chicken cordon bleu is easy for kids to make!

How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu

Lydia shows how she's cutting a pocket into the chicken breasts, making sure that she doesn't cut all the way through. 

She's also made herself an assembly line ready. The flour, egg, and milk mixture and the breadcrumbs are waiting in bowls, ready to be used.

Lydia Cutting Chicken for Cordon Bleu

Not only are the bowls ready for dredging the finished stuffed chicken breasts, but Lydia has already rolled the ham and cheese into tight rolls. 

PS: You can see that she's already got the cake that's going to be dessert baking in the oven. I always have so much fun cooking and baking with her. 

Making Ham and Cheese Rolls for Chicken Cordon Bleu

Once the chicken breasts were cut, Lydia put one ham and cheese roll inside each pocket. Holding the pocket closed, she dredged each breast, first into the flour, then the egg and milk mixture, and finally into the breadcrumbs. 

She placed the breaded stuffed chicken into a casserole dish.

Lydia Breading Chicken Cordon Bleu

When all the chicken breasts were breaded and in the dish, she covered it with cling wrap and placed it in the fridge to chill. This helps the breading stick to the meat.

This time she left it for about an hour, but it's possible to make this up to one day ahead of when it's needed.

Chilling Chicken Cordon Bleu Before Baking

I forgot to take photos of Lydia putting the breaded stuffed chicken onto a lightly greased, rimmed cookie sheet. Into the oven it went...

.... and it came out like this. Earlier, Lydia helped me make the scalloped potatoes that are shown behind the chicken. That's also a really easy German recipe, and SO good! (Those scalloped potatoes use whipping cream, of course!)

Lydia's Finished Chicken Cordon Bleu

That was a yummy meal that Lydia prepared so many years ago. 

In fact, Lydia loves these so much that now that she's older, she has done a bit of experimenting. I gave her my Vortex Plus Instant Air Fryer Oven, and she converted her recipe to one that works in it.

Here's what her new version looks like ...

Go to Air Fryer Cordon Blue recipe >

 ... and here is her Air Fried Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe. YUM!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Origins

I was surprised to find out that this original recipe appears to come from Switzerland and not France. The term 'Cordon Bleu' is French and translates as 'Blue Ribbon' and is the name of a cooking school.

As a recipe, it is simply meat wrapped around cheese, breaded, and then either pan-fried or deep-fried.

There are many versions of this, with schnitzel cordon bleu being one of the more popular German ones. It uses veal instead of chicken.

But always willing to tackle something new, I experimented. I soon realized it was neither expensive nor very French nor very difficult.

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What to Serve With Chicken Cordon Bleu?

There are so many yummy possibilities to serve with these hähnchenrouladen. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Asparagus salad
2. Roasted Brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar
3. Creamy green beans
4. Foolproof scalloped potatoes

Ready for some Chicken Cordon Bleu?

Print Recipe

German Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe – Oma's Hähnchenrouladen

Does your chicken cordon bleu recipe, aka hähnchenrouladen, sound difficult? Try this easy version and impress your guests! 

It's really nothing more than the very German rouladen made with chicken breast. And, by doing it this easy way, you don't even have to pound the chicken breast to make it thin.

Prep Time:

40 minutes

Bake Time:

30 minutes

Total Time:

1 hour 10 minutes

Servings:

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, deboned and skinless
• 4 slices Emmental or Gruyère cheese
• 4 slices Black Forest ham
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) milk
• 1-2 cups (150-300 grams) seasoned breadcrumbs

Instructions:

1. Prepare the chicken by cutting horizontally into the thickest part of each breast to create a pocket, being careful not to cut all the way through.
2. Place a slice of cheese on top of a slice of ham and roll them up together. Do this with the remaining cheese and ham slices.
3. Stuff a cheese/ham roll inside each chicken breast pocket.
4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
5. Put the flour in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Put the breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl.
6. Dredge a stuffed chicken breast in the flour, then dip it in the egg mixture, then roll it in the breadcrumbs. Place it in a casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
7. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to help the breading stick to the chicken.
8. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
9. Place the chicken breasts on a lightly greased rimmed cookie sheet.
10. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160°F (70°C), and serve.

Notes/Hints:

• Use a mixture of your favorite cheeses.
• Use a toothpick to hold the pocket closed if necessary. Make sure you remove it before serving.
• Instead of cutting a pocket, butterfly the chicken breast. Place between plastic wrap and gently pound until about ¼ inch thick. Season with salt and pepper. Place ham and cheese along the long end. Roll up and continue with the dredging process.
• This is scrumptious served with my foolproof German scalloped potatoes!

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

Updated on September 3, 2026

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to your table

Complete your set today - order now!

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.