Y’all are gonna love my Southern spin on this classic. My fried chicken cordon bleu recipe includes chicken breast coated in crushed Ritz crackers, fried, and then stuffed with pimento cheese. It’s simultaneously crunchy, tender, and ooey-gooey goodness!

Now, let me first just say I KNOW this isn’t a traditional chicken cordon bleu as there’s no ham or swiss cheese in sight. However, this is chicken cordon bleu with a Southern twist, and let me tell y’all, it’s so good!

Instead of coating our chicken breast with breadcrumbs, we use crushed Ritz crackers (if this sounds delicious, check out my Ritz cracker chicken recipe). Then instead of stuffing it with deli ham and swiss cheese, we’re going to use the one and only Southern favorite… pimento cheese. I could eat this stuff all day every day.

Now, instead of baking, we’re making fried chicken cordon bleu, because this is a Southern take on classic chicken cordon bleu, after all. Frying the chicken makes the Ritz cracker coating so deliciously crunchy that you’re going to fall in love at first bite! The flavor and texture combination of the crunchy coating and ooey-gooey cheese is just irresistible.

This fried chicken cordon bleu recipe is very easy to follow and will be ready in no time at all. I’ve included some serving suggestions below, but I hope you make this for a weeknight supper sometime soon. I have a feeling your family will love it!

Recipe Ingredients

Ritz crackers (generic are fine)
Oil for frying
Eggs
Boneless skinless chicken breast
Pimento cheese

How to Make Fried Chicken Cordon Bleu, Southern-Style

Before you get started, pour oil to a depth of 1/2 an inch in a large skillet and put it over medium-high heat.

Set up a little breading station with a bowl of crushed Ritz crackers, a bowl of beaten eggs, your chicken, and a plate to put it on.

Dip each piece of chicken into the beaten egg on both sides.

Then press it into the cracker crumbs.

Reduce the heat under your skillet to medium and carefully add your chicken to it.

Cook until golden brown (about 7 to 9 minutes), then turn and cook until golden brown on the other side and the chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Like this.

Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

Using a fork to hold the chicken rather than your hands, cut a nice slice into the side of each piece of chicken to form a pocket.

Like so.

Carefully stuff that pocket with a few tablespoons of pimento cheese. This puppy right here is holding about four tablespoons.

I just put a big old spoonful in there one at a time until I feel like I have all I can get in there.

Prop stuffed chicken pieces up on their sides in a small baking pan or an 8×8 baking dish.

Put this in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese melts a bit on the outside. Since the chicken is hot, you know it will be nicely melted on the inside, too.

Enjoy this wonderful fried chicken cordon bleu, Southern-style.

I’ve included serving suggestions below, but this time I just did simple green beans and potatoes.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 350 degrees until heated through.

Recipe Notes

You can make your cheese from scratch using your own recipe, my spicy pimento cheese recipe, my grandmama’s recipe, or you can just go buy some.
This recipe is for two boneless skinless breasts so double it if you want to make four. Now keep in mind that you don’t have to stuff all of your chicken, you can just fry some and leave it be. I say this because my daughter loves fried chicken but she is at that point in her life where, if it looks funny, she won’t eat it. So I just stuff enough for me and the hubs and leave the kids as is.
I won’t tell anyone if you want to be traditional and add a slice of ham to each pocket before loading it with pimento cheese. I also won’t tell anyone if you want to substitute the pimento cheese for swiss cheese or even mozzarella cheese.

Recipe FAQs

What’s the best oil for frying?

Vegetable oil, peanut oil, and canola oil are all great oils for deep frying due to their high smoke points.

What do you serve with chicken cordon bleu?

You can serve your fried chicken cordon bleu with so many different sides:

Something filling like rice, quinoa, or your favorite pasta.
Potatoes, whether that’s mashed potato, cheesy garlic mashed potatoes, or fried potatoes.
Fries, like roasted sweet potato wedges, baked zucchini fries, or parmesan fries.
Salad. I recommend my recipe for the best German potato salad or something fresh like my summer corn salad.
Steamed or roasted vegetables. This could be something as simple as steamed broccoli florets, my simple zucchini and squash recipe, or grilled asparagus.

What’s in classic chicken cordon bleu sauce?

The classic chicken cordon bleu sauce is a creamy dijon sauce made from butter, minced garlic or garlic powder, flour or cornstarch for thickening, dijon mustard, milk for creaminess, salt and pepper for seasoning, and shredded parmesan cheese (which is totally optional).

What’s the difference between chicken kiev and chicken cordon bleu?

The two recipes are actually very similar and both included breaded chicken breast that’s either baked or fried. However, while chicken kiev is stuffed with chilled butter, chicken cordon bleu is traditionally stuffed with ham and cheese.

How do you make baked chicken cordon bleu?

If you’d prefer to make baked chicken cordon bleu, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish or a baking sheet. Then place the breaded chicken onto the pan, spray lightly with cooking spray, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Then follow the directions above for adding the stuffing.