A Blue Ribbon Day: Celebrating Chicken Cordon Bleu!

Baked ham and cheese puff pastry bites beside a jar of Grey Poupon Dijon mustard on a red checkered cloth.

Give yourself a blue ribbon for making this recipe…after all the French term “Cordon Bleu” is translated to mean “blue ribbon.” This Thursday, April 4, we celebrate National Chicken Cordon Bleu Day. Let’s have some fun with a mini version of the classic recipe and serve it as an aperitif with a champagne toast to this elegant dish. The traditional recipe calls for tender chicken fillets are butterflied and stuffed with Swiss cheese and ham, coated with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and then baked or fried to crunchy perfection. The mini version uses the same mouthwatering ingredients with the addition of Dijon mustard to add a little zing to these delicious morsels.

Mini Chicken Cordon Bleu Bites

Yield: 24

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray mini muffin tins lightly with vegetable spray.

  • 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
  • 6 teaspoons Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
  • 7 ounces thinly sliced brown sugar deli ham
  • ½ cup grated gruyere cheese
  • Salt and pepper

Place chicken on a cutting board and pound flat with a meat mallet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place olive oil in a sauté pan and fry, turning once, until chicken is browned and cooked through.  Place chicken in the refrigerator to cool. Once the chicken has completely cooled, cut it into small pieces that will fit inside the muffin cups.

Cut puff pastry into 24 rounds with a 2 1/8” biscuit cutter. Place rounds in mini muffin tins. Place ¼ teaspoon Grey Poupon Dijon mustard on each puff pastry round and spread the mustard around to cover the bottom of the pastry.

Cut the ham into 24 rounds with a 2 1/8” biscuit cutter. Place ham rounds on top of the mustard in the muffin cups.  Place a piece of chicken on top of each round of ham. Place 1 teaspoon grated gruyere cheese on top of the chicken and press down to make the cheese even with the top of the muffin cup.

Bake the cordon bleus for 18 minutes in preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven or until the crust is baked and the cheese on top is lightly browned. Serve warm.


About the Writer:

Following her career in healthcare dining and nutrition management, Becky Ellis followed her passion to create Bubblybee, a champagne and food blog. Her motto is “Don’t wait to celebrate! Pop the cork now!” She loves to share tips for entertaining with bubbly. Find her creative recipes and champagne tasting notes at bubblybee.net and Instagram @bubblybeeboop.

Author

  • Becky Ellis

    Becky Ellis is a freelance writer specializing in southern food, champagne and cocktails. She loves to share tips for entertaining with bubbly. Find her creative food and cocktail recipes along with champagne tasting notes on her blog biscuitsandbubbly.com and Instagram at @biscuits.n.bubbly.

You Might Also Like:

Two people in cowboy hats walk down a sunny tree-lined street; the man holds an acoustic guitar.

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings Bring Their Acclaimed Live Performance to Berglund Center on October 22

Berglund Center is proud to welcome acclaimed singer-songwriters Gillian Welch & David Rawlings to Berglund Performing Arts Theatre on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
Aerial view of downtown Roanoke with the Taubman Museum's curved metal roof and the brick train station with columns.

Saturdays July 18 & August 29 Free at the Roanoke History & O. Winston Link Museums

The Roanoke History & O. Winston Link Museums will offer free admission to visitors from Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem, Botetourt, Bedford, Craig, Franklin, Floyd, and Montgomery Counties on Saturday July 18 and Saturday August 29, 2026.
The Body Mechanic logo: a muscled human back with arms outstretched, framed by a gear and vines, above "Pain Relief Solutions.

The Body Mechanic Approved as VA Community Care Provider

The Body Mechanic in Salem has been approved as a provider in the VA Community Care Network, giving eligible local veterans access to VA-authorized medically focused massage therapy services closer to home.
A crowd relaxes on lawn chairs and benches under tall trees in front of a covered outdoor stage at dusk.

Grammy-Winning Steep Canyon Rangers and Regional Favorites Phat Laces Headline Weekend at The Dog Bowl

The 5 Points Music Foundation and Black Dog Salvage invite music lovers to a full weekend of live music at The Dog Bowl, featuring Steep Canyon Rangers with Colby T. Helms and Phat Laces with Talking Cake.
ClarityVet Consulting logo: teal paw print inside a gray compass rose, with gray text below.

Clarity Vet Consulting Launches in Roanoke

Clarity Vet Consulting introduces dedicated in-home pet hospice and end-of-life care.
Poster for Behind the Scream with David Arquette, showing a man holding a knife beside a Ghostface mask.

BEHIND THE SCREAM: A Live Conversation with David Arquette

Actor David Arquette takes the Berglund Center stage after a special 30th anniversary screening of "Scream."
A guitarist in a dark embroidered western-style jacket and sunglasses plays a honey-colored Telecaster on a stage.

Joe Bonamassa Announces 2027 U.S. Spring Tour, Includes Berglund Center

Blues-rock titan Joe Bonamassa has announced a new run of Spring 2027 U.S. tour dates, including Roanoke, VA on February 23rd at Berglund Performing Arts Theatre.
Flyer for a mobile pet health clinic on Friday, July 10, 10am-2pm, showing four cats and dogs above a list of service prices and a mobile clinic van.

Angels of Assisi and Bedford Community Pet Coalition to Host Low-Cost Mobile Pet Health Clinic

Angels of Assisi, in partnership with Community Pet Coalition of Bedford, will host a low-cost Mobile Pet Health Clinic on Friday, July 10, in the parking lot of the Bedford County Animal Shelter.
Three people stand smiling in a lab beside a large gray industrial machine with a touchscreen, one wearing a black polo with a logo.

VWCC Designated NC3 Leadership School, Expanding Industry Impact

New applied mechatronics courses will enhance credentialing opportunities.
Roanoke Foodshed Network logo: a circle with a yellow sun, blue mountains, city skyline, and green crop rows.

Roanoke Foodshed Network Awards Mini-Grants in Region

Roanoke Foodshed Network awards $19,375 in healthy community action team mini-grants to strengthen food access and community health in the Roanoke region.