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Chicken Cordon Bleu à la Bistrot des Tournelles
At Bistrot des Tournelles in Paris, chef Édouard Vermynck has literally reshaped the classic chicken cordon bleu. When he demonstrated the dish, he pressed an astounding amount of Comté cheese into each round of chicken and ham (rather than the traditional oblong), then breaded and pan-fried the parcels. For our adaptation, we lightened up on the cheese and opted for baking, which is fuss-free and requires less oil. Additionally, we switched to panko from regular breadcrumbs for a crisper, more delicate outer crust. Be sure to purchase deli ham that is very thinly sliced; if the slices are thick, it will be difficult to enclose the cheese. This recipe can be scaled up to serve six or eight. For convenience, after they’re breaded, the bundles can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours and baked just before serving.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t bake immediately after breading the bundles. Give them at least a 30-minute rest to allow the breading to set so they will hold together better in the oven. Be sure to serve the cordon blue within five to 10 minutes of removing them from the oven, while the cheese is still gooey.
2½ hours
1 hour active
Ingredients
-
1
cup panko breadcrumbs
-
2
tablespoons neutral oil
Directions
-
01In a 10-inch skillet over medium, toast the panko, stirring, until light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl. Drizzle with the oil, then toss to coat. Add the flour to similar dish. In small bowl, use a fork to beat the eggs and 1 tablespoon water.
Reviews
March 24, 2026
Impressive without the fuss
It was delicious! It also was not as complicated as I thought it would be. I've made stuffed items before that resulted in large messes & broken final products, but this was simple enough and clean!
April 14, 2025
Delivers
I made this exactly as the recipe described and it was delicious and surprisingly unfussy. Winner!
March 9, 2026
OK, but I won't make them again
The flavor was good but the dish itself seemed dry. I'm not sure if that was because baking the chicken instead of frying dries it out, or because I'm used to serving this with a white sauce.
April 17, 2025
Tasty but a mess
Ultimately these turned out fine but was a mess to put together and reflects a problem with how many recipes are structured. Unless you go to a gourmet grocery there is zero chance of finding chicken breasts that are (anywhere close to) 5 oz. The chicken cutlets at major American supermarkets are going to be at least 1 lb each. The one I used for this recipe was 23 ounces! I cut it into 4 pieces before pounding but that left me with uneven and shredded cutlets. That made it hard to layer and roll properly. Recipes need to be more aware of what most American consumers have access to and adjust accordingly. If that means providing instructions for how to effectively adjust when your portions are differently sized, that’s fine. If there’s a better way of making a 20 oz chicken breast into four evenly pounded 5 oz cutlets, please include these instructions.
March 31, 2026
A silly mess
I consider myself a pretty accomplished cook but this recipe did not pan out as described. The chicken does not "seal" as easily as described. I ended up pivoting to panfried cutlets and added ham and cheese on top to avert a total disaster. Any way you go, be sure to season heavily as chicken breasts prove what we all know - they just don't have much flavor. More directly, find something else to make.
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