Sheet Pan Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu with Roasted Broccoli
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 anywhere inside 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
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
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
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from ATK Quick Family Cookbook {affiliate link for the book}
Yum. Going to make this asap!! I was wondering though, recipe says to use Dijon but the video has whole grain mustard……I’m sure it doesn’t matter that much?
Yes, you can use either!
This was a huge hit in my family! Three of four kids (because there’s always one, right?!) gave me air high-fives at dinner they loved it so much. My husband air-fived me across the table because we agreed that this was delicious and a winner. I used leftover shredded ham from your sweet baked Easter ham (the vinegar boil one) for this, and it was tasty. We always roast our broccoli, so having it all on one pan was awesome.
Haha, love the air fives! And also LOVE the idea of that sweet baked ham in this recipe. Yum!
Hi! I’m making this right now and I’m confused! I see it says to add 1/4 cup of the cheese before the crackers, but when do you add the rest of the cheese? I’ve read the recipe a few times and I can’t see where we use the other 3/4 cup! Help a stressed mama out!
When it says add 1/4 cup cheese, that’s for one chicken breast – so you’ll use the rest of the cheese on the other chicken pieces.
This totally tripped me up, too!
Thanks for such a yummy (and super easy) recipe! Our entire family gobbled it right up… even our picky eaters! We will definitely be making it again!
This was amazing! Super fast and delicious!
Didn’t have Ritz crackers so used these random cheese crisp things I had in the pantry. Ahhhhmaaaaaaazing. Normally when I sub stuff in my recipes it’s a disaster but this worked out great. SO GOOD! Thanks!
I made this last night, and not only did I love it, but my 5 yo super picky eater ate half a chicken breast with no fighting and he loved it! Yay! Mom win thanks to you!!!
Good but found it salty. Next time I will opt not to coat chicken and broccoli in salt.
I love that everything is baked right on the one pan! Bonus that all 4 of my kids liked it!!!
A great quick and easy recipe that my whole family loved! Thanks!
Finally made this tonight and all 5 of us loved it! Thanks for another great recipe, Mel!!
Thanks, Kathleen!
My husband’s new favorite meal I’ve made, and it took 15 mins to put together (while holding my 10wk old daughter). Keeping this recipe forever, my kinda meal: easy, few dishes, few ingredients!
Yay!! So happy you loved it!
Bless you for cooking with a new baby! Not an easy task.
My cracker topping burned too quick too. I turned down the oven for part of it so the chicken could finish.
I made this a few weeks ago and it was a huge hit! I need some freezer meals that my husband and older kids could handle preparing while I’m down after surgery. Do you think this could work as a freezer meal? Maybe add crackers after defrosting? Thanks for any input!
I haven’t frozen it myself, but it’s certainly worth a try…and yes, I’d probably freeze the cracker crumbs separately to add right before baking.
Super Easy! But my cracker topping burned, I’m not sure what I did wrong!
This happened to me too. My tray was in the middle of the oven, and I’m wondering if it was too close to the top…like the crumbs were broiling at the 10 minute mark. So, I tried putting the pan on the lowest rack and turning the temp down to 400. That did the trick for me.
This was amazing! I actually just set out the ingredients on Sunday evening and my kids put it together!
We made this using our left-over ham from Easter and it was a hit! I just sliced the ham as thin as I could and called it good. It was extra flavorful with the our slow-cooker- brown-sugar-pineapple tasting ham. My husband and kids loved it. Thanks for an easy Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe Mel!
Oooh yum, leftover Easter ham sounds amazing with this!
This was SO good and quick and easy! It even earned my “YESSS! YESSSSSSS! Everybody likes my food!” cheer, because even my picky eaters liked it!
I used gruyere that I got at Aldi…another win!
Haha, that’s always the best cheer! Glad it was a hit!
I made this last week. It was so delicious and easy. We all loved it! My six year old asked me if I could make it for dinner every night 🙂 I am making it again tonight!
Thanks for another winner Mel!
Haha, that’s high praise from the little one! 🙂
Okay, I didn’t think like could get better than your other Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu (seriously, that sauce!!), but this just about did me in. Seriously, with the broccoli baking alongside the chicken, everything was just heavenly! And yes, I made the sauce from your other recipe for this one and the three together (sheet baked chicken and broccoli from this recipe and the Dijon sauce from the other) = as good as it gets!!! Thanks, Mel, for another winner!!!
(I used gluten-free panko crumbs mixed with a Tbsp or two of melted butter to top the chicken and it was delish. Easy GF conversion!)
Yay, yay!
I have put my own slight “spin” on this recipe. I have made it before & followed the directions exactly (except for the asparagus). This time – I added thin sliced mushrooms and omitted the crushed Ritz crackers.
I will end up with some left-overs, so once “nuked” to warm up a bit, it makes an awesome sandwich for the next day !
Easy and delicious. Husband and kids ate it right up! Making it again this week!
Always a plus when the whole family loves it. Thanks, Christina!
I was looking for a quick (and healthy) meal after a long day at a track meet. This was fast and easy to put together. It was delicious and my kids loved it! Will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Thanks, Marcie!
Simply excellent. Meets all my requirements for five stars baby!
1 . Super fast! Minutes to the oven, minutes to the table.
2. Easy! Few ingredients, few instructions.
3. ONLY ONE PAN to clean baby.
4. Bursting with flavor… the Dijon mustard and Gruyere cheese create a party in your mouth. Good enough to serve to company any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
5. This is the best part: My kids LOVED it.
Thanks for a great recipe Mel and a new meal in our monthly rotation.
I made this tonight for my family, along with your drop biscuits and pear maple vinaigrette salad and it was amazing! The kids loved it, especially the biscuits! Thank you so much for such great recipes that make such delicious food.
Oh yum! What a fabulous menu!
I made this for dinner and it was a huge hit with my family. And so much easier than the traditional chicken cordon bleu and I liked it better. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
I have made this – it is DELICIOUS ! I had a few pieces of the chicken left-over, so next day I sliced them up & warmed them and made sandwiches ! Awesome !
Oh my gosh, SANDWICHES! Brilliant!
Made this yesterday and everyone devoured it! So delicious and much simpler than I thought it would be. I used thinly sliced Swiss cheese from a package instead of grated and leftover ham from Easter. This will definitely be a repeat anytime we need to use up the rest of a ham! Yum!
So glad you loved it, Heather!
Had these tonight and everyone declared these a repeat. Super delicious and surprisingly fast!
Glad you loved this simple recipe, Madison!
I mad this last night. I only had boneless chicken thighs. I pounded them out thin and browned them a bit before adding the rest of the ingredients. More work (and dishes!), but thighs are a bit moister than breasts and sometimes come out weird if you don’t brown them first. It was yummy!
Sounds delicious, Laurie!
Amazing! Didn’t do the broccoli, but the chicken was perfect. Sliced the thick breasts horizontally into half inch-ish thick pieces and layered with a really good deli ham, deli sliced Baby Swiss Cheese and the buttered Panko crumbs. Placed them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper that I spread with a little butter. Super easy, and just as good or better than traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu. The sauce was delicious.
I looked for the thin chicken breasts you mentioned at Costco today. They didn’t have them. I was totally bummed! 🙁
Oh darn it!
What you sub in for the Ritz crackers to make this gluten free?
I don’t know specifically – but a gluten-free cracker that is slightly buttery should do the trick.
You could just use gf seasoned bread crumbs if your store carries those!
Mel, I am so excited to try this. I am making Chicken Cordon Bleu for Easter and am deciding between this recipe or your Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe. That sauce sounds so yummy. Quick question. Which type of ham do you use? I am not sure what the thickness of it should be. Thank you for all your delicious recipes. Honestly, every single one of my Easter recipes are right here from your site!
Hey Stephanie! I love the Hormel Natural selects ham deli meat; it’s what I use for this recipe (and for our sandwiches and other deli meat needs). 🙂
Made this tonight and loved it! So quick and easy! I even overloaded the pan with extra broccoli and too much chicken, thinking it would take longer to cook through, but it was still perfectly done in 20 minutes!
Happy to hear that, Vicky – thank you!
This is a winner! We devoured it. I also pounded the chicken to 1/2 inch and 18 minutes was perfect. My whole family loved it. Delicious!
Thanks for letting me know, cute Tami!
My 8 year old daughter and I made this for dinner last night and everyone devoured it. It was easy enough that she could have done it all by herself! It will definitely stay on our rotation!
Love that! I’m super impressed by your 8-year old!
If u r looking for a really quick & yummy meal & u have chix & broc in the fridge, then make this. I was too
Lazy to go out & get cheese, & the only kind I had was parm-so that’s all I used. It was still really Delish & a real show stopper-all pretty on the baking sheet & all. We had mix of cauliflower & Broc & had biscuits as a side. My husband was super excited w how quick supper was ready. Thx, Mel for yet another great one & for your huge impact in helping people create happy homes. ❤️♥️❤️
Thanks for adding your input, Lauren! So happy you loved it!
I made this tonight for my family of 5 and we all loved it! A new family favorite. I pounded out thick chicken breasts to about 1/2 inch and it only needed 18 min to cook in my oven
Thanks for reporting back, Chelsea!
I made this delicious dish for my family last night. It was so easy and we just loved it. I also made the chocolate oat bars. Oh my, those things are out of this world. I wish you had the time to read all of the recipes that I have made that you have shared. I cannot begin to thank you enough.
Thank you so much, Susanne!
I just made your easy chicken cordon bleu last night and we LOVED it. This looks even easier. Can’t wait to try it.
This is so simple & delicious, love it! Great for a quick weeknight meal.
I’m making this right now…had chicken breasts thawing and during a break today I saw I had all the ingredients on hand in my little kitchen just waiting for me to get home from work and give it a try! Thanks Mel…you make my life so easy!
Thanks, Jill!
I love sheet pan dinners!! This is one I know my family will gobble up. I think I may be switching up my weeks menu today to make this tonight. It looks awesome!! Thanks Mel (and Brian!)
Hope you love it if you try it, Katrina! 🙂
I love this recipe. I use chicken tenderloins for perfect portion sizes and zero work and 1/3 slice of smoked Gouda on each. I cook at 400 otherwise it browns too quick. Perfect meal!
Do you have the nutritional breakdown for this recipe?
I don’t; sorry!
This is similar to the chicken cordon bleu I grew up with. My mom (and now I) would wrap a slice of Swiss cheese around the chicken and then wrap the deli ham and then end with wrapping a piece of bacon to hold it all together. I always considered it inside out chicken cordon bleu. I like this layering idea though and will definitely try it. Thanks Mel (and Brian)!
That sounds delicious, Julie!
The link to this post from your email didn’t work. Found the post the old fashioned way can’t wait to try it!
Me too. Link didn’t work, so I went to your home page.
Me three. But I am smarter than my phone!
Thanks Barbara, Erin and Anna – I didn’t realize the link was broken until just now (thanks to it being spring break and me frantically trying to clean my filthy house for company). Appreciate your patience!
I have Costco chicken thawed in the refrigerator and did not have a plan for dinner tonight. I do now 🙂 You are simply the best food blogger out there…….
Ah, thanks, Kim! I hope you love this!!
Wow, Mel! Looks SO good!! I think “winner, winner, chicken dinner” here is totally appropriate! We love your other “unstuffed” recipe (seriously, that sauce!) and I’m excited to try this one! Might even sub out the other for this on our dinner rotation this week! Yay! Give Brian a big “thanks!” for us! Hope you have a great week with all the festivities!
Thanks, Amy! 🙂
I can’t believe you’ve manage to create an even simpler version than (our absolute favorite) Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe! I am definitely on board….although my family may rebel without that scrumptious Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce! And who doesn’t love roasted broccoli? As one of my boys used to say when younger, “I only like broccoli from the oven.”:)
Haha…seriously, roasted broccoli is the best! And you could definitely whip up some of that cream sauce for this chicken. That would be divine!