• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Good Hearted Woman logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Comfort Food
    • Cooking Basics
    • Condiments
    • German Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Seafood
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • Sourdough
    • Snacks
    • Sweets
    • 30-Minute Meals
  • Cozy Living
    • Arts & Crafts
    • For Music Lovers
    • Food Holidays
  • US Travel
    • One Day in...
    • Pacific
    • Rocky Mountains
    • Southwest
    • The South
    • Hikes Near & Far
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cozy Living
  • Road Trips
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cozy Living
    • Road Trips
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs

    February 10, 2015 • Updated: June 13, 2022 • by Renée B. • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Meatballs in a large bowl covered with sauce, with a small pitcher of sauce on the side. Pin text reads: Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs

    Easy, economical, healthy, and company-worthy, these Cordon Bleu Meatballs will satisfy all your savory cravings! Each meatball is stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese and baked, then finished with a creamy white wine sauce. An instant family favorite!

    Many meatballs in a bowl, with a sauce poured over and garnished with fresh parsley.
    Jump to:
    • What's the Story Behind this Recipe?
    • What Goes into this Recipe
    • How to Make this Recipe
    • FAQs & Expert Tips
    • Related Recipes
    • Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs

    What's the Story Behind this Recipe?

    Some time ago, I had the opportunity to review The SkinnyTaste Cookbook, the début cookbook of Gina Homolka.

    Gina is the personable and creative author behind Skinnytaste, a wildly successful, award-winning food blog. One of the best recipes in the book is her Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs. From the first time we made them, it has been an oft-requested family favorite.

    Not only will this meatball recipe satisfy your savory cravings, but the technique for making them will spark your creative juices, and can be applied to making any number of other stuffed meatball flavor combinations.

    Our thanks to Gina's publishers for generously allowing us to adapt and share this recipe in conjunction with our review of The Skinnytaste Cookbook. Note that all of the recipe instructions have been rewritten, and minor changes have been made to the original recipe ingredients, amounts, and methods.

    What Goes into this Recipe

    Cordon blue meatball ingredients: parmesan, bread crumbs, ground chicken, ham, Swiss, egg, parsley, garlic, oregano, basil, salt.

    Meatball Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

    ★ Ground Chicken: Use a good quality ground chicken. (We recommend Iserno brand plain ground ground chicken.)

    Just so you know, not all ground chicken is the same quality. We made this with some off-brand chicken once, and they were too moist before baking, and too dry after.

    Lean ground pork is also an option.

    ★ Swiss cheese: The original recipe calls for reduced-fat Swiss cheese. We have found that, while it does shave the overall calorie count a bit, the trade-off is that the meatball centers are less gooey and more bouncy than we prefer. If calories are not your priority, we recommend using regular Swiss cheese. (We also increased the amount of cheese by almost a third.)

    In her version, Gina suggests cutting the cheese into cubes. I find that grating the cheese encourages it to melt more readily during baking.

    ★ Bread crumbs: The original recipe suggests using dry Italian bread crumbs. We prefer using fresh bread crumbs and adding additional dry herbs, and the recipe here reflects that. Either way works.

    ★ Ham: Use lean, thinly sliced deli ham. We like using a honey ham. Saltier hams (like Black Forest) make the overall flavor lean too far to the salty side.

    ★ Parmesan: Asiago, Romano, or a combination of any of the three cheeses work just fine.

    Dijon sauce ingredients: flour, white wine, milk, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, parsley, butter, and salt & pepper.

    Dijon Sauce Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

    ★ Flour: As usual, when it comes to sauces, you can use all-purpose flour; however, we recommend using Wondra.

    Wondra, or instant flour, dissolves more quickly than all-purpose flour, and mixes into both hot and cold liquids easily. This makes it particularly useful for making smooth, creamy, lump-free sauces.

    ★ White wine: If you aren't a wine-drinker, try using white grape juice, or just a little more chicken broth.

    ★ Milk: The original recipe calls for 1% milk; however, any milk or alternative milk will work. (We have tried Almond milk, coconut-almond milk, and whole milk thus far.)

    ★ Chicken broth: Use a good quality canned or boxed chicken broth. You can also use homemade chicken stock; however, if it is very hearty, you will want to water it down a little.

    Don't have any chicken broth? Sub in one teaspoon of Better than Bouillon or a bouillon cube. Dissolve the bouillon in one cup of hot water and proceed.

    How to Make this Recipe

    Stuffed Meatballs

    Preheat oven to 400°F | 205°C. Line a heavy baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

    In a medium bowl, combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, egg, garlic, and salt.

    Meatball mix ingredients mixed in glass bowl.

    Mix thoroughly, and then divide into 12 equal portions. (See "Meatball Hack")

    2-panel collage illustrating how to divide meat mixture into 12 portions, pizza-style.

    Roll each 1/12 portion of the ground chicken mixture into a ball. Set aside.

    I usually put the formed meatballs in the fridge for about 15 minutes to make the mixture set a little better before trying to fill them.

    While the meatballs are chilling, make the centers.

    After making this recipe a number of times, I've found that it is easiest to make the ham and cheese centers in the following way:

    1. Divide the cheese into equal 12 portions.
    2. Form the cheese portions into little balls. Slightly wet your hands when you do this to encourage the grated cheese to stick together easier.
    3. Cut the deli ham into ribbons roughly 1-inch wide. Divide into 12 portions.
    4. Wrap the ham strips around the cheese balls.
    meatballs and ham & cheese centers formed.

    Place a ham-covered cheese ball on one side of a prepared meatball, and form the meat mixture around it so that the ham-n-cheese is now in the middle of the meatball.

    2-panel collage: flattened meat portion with ham and cheese center showing; Meatball formed around center and closed.

    Transfer prepared meatballs to baking sheet and bake uncovered 18-22 minutes, or until no longer pink in center.

    12 baked meatballs in a meatball pan.

    Dijon Sauce

    Make the sauce while the meatballs are finishing in the oven.

    In a small bowl, combine wine, broth, milk, and mustard. Set aside.

    Melt one tablespoon butter in skillet over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in one tablespoon flour and whisk until it begins to smell slightly nutty; about a minute.

    Add liquid mixture all at once and whisk constantly. When mixture begins to thicken, remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, salt and parsley.

    When meatballs have finished in the oven, transfer to skillet and toss with prepared sauce; or simply pour it over the top.

    Meatballs in a large bowl covered with sauce, with a small pitcher of sauce on the side.

    FAQs & Expert Tips

    No Flat Bottoms!

    We found this cool meatball pan! It helps to keep meatballs from settling and getting flat on the bottom. It is definitely not a necessity, but it's a handy thing to have if meatballs are something you make often.

    12 uncooked meatballs in a pan.

    Easy Pizza Hack for Perfect Meatballs

    Meatball mix divided into 12 portions, cut pizza-style.
    How do you make meatballs all the same size?

    You can use a kitchen scale, but I find that this "pizza method" works much easier.

    Simply lay the meat mixture out on a flat surface and flatten slightly, then use a large knife or pizza cutter to make cuts from edge to edge through the center, as you might when cutting pizza.

    One baked meatball cut through the center to show the ham and cheese inside. Other full meatballs in a bowl.

    Related Recipes

    • Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries
    • Classic Hot Buttered Rum
    • Cinnamon Roll Wreath (Danish Pastry Ring)
    • Orange Tea Ring (Danish Wreath)

    For more recipes and cozy living tips, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all of the latest updates.

    Many meatballs in a bowl, with a sauce poured over and garnished with fresh parsley.
    4.50 from 2 votes

    Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs

    These Cordon Bleu Meatballs will satisfy all your savory cravings! Each meatball is stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese and baked, then finished with a creamy white wine sauce.
    Adapted from The SkinnyTaste Cookbook by GIna Homolka.
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Chicken, Main Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Low Fat
    Prep Time:20 minutes
    Cook Time:20 minutes
    Total Time:40 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 373kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 heavy skillet
    • 1 Heavy Baking Sheet
    • 1 meatball pan nice to have, but not necessary

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    Meatballs
    • 1½ pounds lean ground chicken Try Isernio 95% Lean
    • ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs
    • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 large clove garlic minced
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 ounces sliced deli ham
    • 3 ounces Swiss cheese grated; or reduced-fat
    Sauce
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 tablespoon flour
    • ¼ cup white wine or additional chicken broth
    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • ½ cup milk 1%
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
    • ¼ teaspoon white pepper or freshly ground pepper

    Instructions

    Meatballs

    • Preheat oven to 400°F | 205°C. Line a heavy baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
    • In a medium bowl, combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, egg, garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, and salt.
      Mix thoroughly, and then divide into 12 equal portions.
    • Roll each 1/12 portion of the ground chicken mixture into a ball. Set aside.
      I usually put them in the fridge for about 15 minutes to make the mixture set a little better before trying to form it into balls. 
    • While the meatballs are chilling, make the centers.
      After making this recipe a number of times, I've found that it is easiest to make the ham and cheese centers in the following way:
      A. Divide the cheese into equal 12 portions.
      B. Form the cheese portions into little balls. Slightly wet your hands when you do this to encourage the grated cheese to stick together easier.
      C. Cut the deli ham into ribbons roughly 1-inch wide. Divide into 12 portions.
      D. Wrap the ham strips around the cheese balls.
    • Place a ham-covered cheese ball on one side of a prepared meatball, and form the meat mixture around it so that the ham-n-cheese is now in the middle of the meatball.
    • Transfer prepared meatballs to baking sheet and bake uncovered 18-22 minutes, or until no longer pink in center.

    Dijon Sauce

    • Make the sauce while the meatballs are finishing in the oven.
    • In a small bowl, combine wine, broth, milk, and mustard. Set aside. 
    • Melt one tablespoon butter in skillet over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in one tablespoon flour and whisk until it begins to smell slightly nutty, about a minute.
    • Add liquid mixture all at once and whisk constantly. When mixture begins to thicken, remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, salt and parsley. 
    • When meatballs have finished in the oven, transfer to a skillet and toss with prepared sauce; or simply pour the sauce over the top.

    Notes

    How to make meatballs all the same size:
    You can use a kitchen scale, but I find that this "pizza method" works much easier.
    Simply lay the meat mixture out on a flat surface and flatten slightly, then use a large knife or pizza cutter to make cuts from edge to edge through the center, as you might when cutting pizza.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2meatballs | Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 1169mg | Potassium: 751mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 512IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 244mg | Iron: 2mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    More Main Dish Recipes

    • Thanksgiving Roast Stuffed Pumpkin
    • Chicken Pillows
    • Easy Spaghetti Pie
    • Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
    7236 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Flipboard

    About Renée B.

    Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Laura says

      June 13, 2022 at 10:20 am

      Nutrition info?

      Reply
      • Renée says

        June 13, 2022 at 10:35 am

        Thank you! I thought the nutritional info had already been updated on this one. It's done now!

        FYI: This post is scheduled for update in the next week or so. Check back for new content, images, and recipe instructions.

        Reply
    2. Jean Nightingale says

      July 14, 2019 at 4:42 am

      4 stars
      The flavors were really great and it is a fairly easy recipe to prepare for any night of the week! I served the meatballs in a bowl, over zoodles, ladling the sauce over the entire dish. Yummy!
      I will say, mine came out a bit tough, and I am wondering if I over handled the meatballs while making them? Did anyone else have this issue of being slightly tough and does anyone have any recommendations for me? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        July 17, 2019 at 8:54 am

        Thanks so much for your feeedback!!! You might want to back off on the breadcrumbs just a little and see if that makes them less tough. I've found that the amount of breadcrumbs I use depends on the density of the breadcrumbs I use. If they are soft, and from a less dense bread, I use a little more. If they are from, say, a heavy, whole grain bread, I use less. Store bought bread crumbs are very fine, and tend to result (in my experience) in a denser meatball. Hope this helps. ?

        Reply
    3. Robin says

      June 11, 2018 at 7:45 am

      I really do not think it is right to share a recipe from a book that others, (including myself) has paid for, and without Gina's permission. She herself has not even shared this one.

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        June 11, 2018 at 7:54 am

        I understand your concern, Robin; however, I was given permission to publish one recipe from the book for the purpose of this review. [Note the "sponsored post" disclosure at both the beginning and end of this post.] Thank you for watching out for those of us who do recipe development though. Most of us are fine when a recipe is shared (with instructions rewritten to protect copyright, of course) when proper credit is given and when the recipe is used for the purposes of promoting our work, both of which are true in this case. Happy cooking! ?

        Reply
    4. Stephanie says

      March 07, 2018 at 7:24 am

      These look wonderful. I would love to try making these before buying the book. Will you post the cooking directions?

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        March 07, 2018 at 1:24 pm

        Yes! Thanks for pointing that out - I just converted this recipe from another recipe plugin and apparently the instructions didn't transfer. It's all fixed now!

        Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        March 11, 2018 at 8:50 pm

        Sorry, Stephanie - I am in the midst of converting all of my recipes to a new format, and somehow I didn't notice that the directions for this recipe had gotten dropped. I've updated the recipe and they are up for you now!

        Reply
    5. Glennae says

      June 17, 2015 at 3:18 pm

      Thanks for this recipe, it was highly recommended by a friend...but am I the only one that doesn't see an oven temp in the directions? I've got it all mixed up and ready to go!

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        June 17, 2015 at 4:34 pm

        You are not the only one to not see the temp - but you are the only one to give me a head's up! Thank you!!! Corrections have been made.

        Reply
    6. Megan Pires says

      February 14, 2015 at 6:50 pm

      Broccoli casserole. I so love it!

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    Adorable middle-aged couple in forest setting. (i.e., Me & Mr B)

    Join me & Mr B for the best in home cooking and cozy living - from the beautiful Pacific Northwest and beyond.

    More about us →

    Follow Us

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

    fresh recipes

    • Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries
    • Classic Hot Buttered Rum
    • Cinnamon Roll Wreath (Danish Pastry Ring)
    • Orange Tea Ring (Danish Wreath)
    • Team Colors 7 Layer Dip
    • Orange Spiced Cranberry Sauce

    game day eats

    • Team Colors 7 Layer Dip
    • Crispy Sauerkraut Fritters (Easy Air Fryer Recipe)
    • 20 Best Game Day Food Ideas
    • Sweet & Spicy Grilled Buffalo Wings
    • Cool Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip
    • Roasted Garlic Spinach Artichoke Dip

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Statement
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Statement

    Follow

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Meet Me & Mr B

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 The Good Hearted Woman. All rights reserved.

    7236 shares
    7.2K shares
    We Value Your Privacy
    To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    We Value Your Privacy
    We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    We Value Your Privacy
    To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    We Value Your Privacy
    We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}