This quick and delicious keto chicken cordon bleu recipe gets a healthier-for- you upgrade with a gluten-free crust and a dairy-free cashew cheese sauce. Paleo and Whole30 friendly, too!
Chicken Cordon Bleu in a low-carb and keto variation!
I am so excited about this Whole30, Paleo, and Keto version of an amazing dinner! It’s another day where I share a classic comfort recipe in a low-carb and dairy-free way. Just like my Keto Skillet Chicken Parmesan and Keto Chicken Alfredo, this one packs in the flavor and comfort! And just like the others mention, you’ll love that this recipe requires only one pan and less than 30 minutes.
We’re taking a quick trip back to my childhood for one of my favorite dishes: the one I asked for every year for my birthday. Chicken Cordon Bleu. But here’s the thing…I actually just wanted my parents to buy me the ones in the frozen section that you popped in the oven. Haha, my sophisticated childhood palate!!
After spending some time with my family last week on vacation, we talked about some of our favorite foods. This one came up. And then the wheels starting……Can I health-ify this recipe? Make it a low-carb and keto friendly recipe? Can I make it dairy-free? Sure, there is always a way.
As nutritionist, lightened up comfort food are my absolute favorite kinds of meals to make. A good mix of almond flour, nuts, and spices for the breading only enhanced the flavor. Chicken cutlets stuffed with prosciutto, and a creamy cashew “cheese” sauce completed the dish.
And let me tell you guys, it’s tastier than I ever remember!
I was so pumped about this dish, and absolutely loved the way it came out that I wanted to post it ASAP!!! Occasionally I crank out a recipe and post right away, and this is definitely one you guys needed in your life!!
How to Make Healthy Chicken Cordon Bleu:
So how exactly are we making this healthy? Here are the simple steps we’ll take!
- Make sure a skillet is heating up nicely before you prepare the chicken, and you turn the oven to 400.
- We start by pounding the chicken breast really thin and place a piece of prosciutto on top, fold the chicken.
- We then mix together a simple blend of almond flour, arrowroot starch, seasonings, and a few tbsp of diced pecans.
- You will create another bowl with a whisked egg and dredge the chicken in egg, then the flour mixture before transferring to the skillet.
- The chicken will cook a few minutes per side in a cast iron skillet to get a nice golden sear.
- We’ll then transfer the pan to the oven and bake to finish it off.
- While baking, we’ll make our delicious cashew cheese sauce by pulsing the ingredients in a food processor or blender to create a creamy, thick sauce.
Once chicken is completely cooked, remove from the oven and drizzle the sauce in the pan to warm up. You can also spoon the sauce over each piece of chicken.
Is Chicken Cordon Bleu Gluten-Free?
This version definitely is! I use almond flour as a crust in place of panko bread crumbs. This makes the recipe gluten-free and low carb as mentioned above.
What to serve with Chicken Cordon Bleu
Serve over zucchini noodles, or with potatoes or vegetables. Garnish with some optional fresh thyme. Here are a few of my favorite side dishes to serve this:
I can’t wait for you all to try this and tell me what you think!
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Chicken Cordon Bleu
This quick and delicious keto chicken cordon bleu recipe gets a healthier-for-you upgrade with a gluten-free crust and a dairy-free cashew cheese sauce. Paleo and Whole30 friendly, too!
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast or chicken cutlets
- 6 slices prosciutto or thinly sliced ham
- 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot starch or tapioca starch (flour)
- 3 tbsp finely diced pecans
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 egg whisked
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
For the Cashew Cheese Sauce:
- 3/4 cup raw cashews*
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large oven proof skillet to medium high heat.
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Pound your chicken breast thin to 1/4-1/2 inch, or use chicken cutlets. Place a slice of prosciutto on top of each chicken breast, and fold over. Set aside.
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In a shallow bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot starch, pecans, thyme, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg.
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Place each chicken breast in the egg first, then the flour mixture ensuring that you coat all sides.
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Once skillet is hot, coat the bottom with oil. Place each chicken breast in the pan and sear for a few minutes (2-3) on each side, or until there was a golden crust. Transfer the pan to the oven.
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Cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
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Meanwhile, make the cashew sauce. Combine drained cashews, chicken broth, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, and salt into a food processor or high powered blender. Pulse or blend until smooth, pausing as many times as needed to scrape the sides. This could take 4-5 minutes.
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Once chicken is ready, remove from oven. Pour the cashew sauce into the pan so it can heat up. Alternatively, spoon some cashew sauce over each chicken breast. Serve hot!
Recipe Notes
*ensure the cashews are soaked in hot water to soften for at least 15 minutes up to overnight prior to making the sauce.Â
I made this on our August Whole30 night one, and it made my boyfriend and I actually look forward to the rest of the month. SO DELICIOUS! We didn’t have arrowroot (had a delay in our delivery) so just used more almond flour and tasted great!
So glad you loved it!
What do you mean by fold over : the prosciutto and chicken please?
Hi Jenn, it’s the chicken you want to fold over so that the prosciutto is in the middle. Hope that makes sense. You can also look at the picture above!
Great tasting recipe! Well worth the time to make.
I agree, Bob!! I love this Chicken Cordon Bleu, and glad you enjoyed it too.
Hi–Love your recipies. Question… I’m allergic to tree nuts but able to have cheese. Do you have any suggestions on how I could adapt this recipe for me (what amounts?). Thanks!
A new favorite! We’re making for the second time in less than two weeks. Thank you ????
Sooooo good, right?!?! I agree, one of my favorites!
My husband loved this recipe! And even my super picky daughter. We already have it planned to eat again next week. You always have great recipes.
Thank you, Alisha!! I love hearing that. This recipe is such a good one to put on repeat!
Hi Amy. This recipe looks delicious but I cannot eat cashews. Is there anything I can substitute to make the cheese sauce?
Thanks,
Mary
Hi Mary! Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to create a dairy-free “cheesy” sauce without cashews. You could try a few subsitutions. The first would be to use a real cheese sauce if you can tolerate dairy. If not, you could try Kite Hill cream cheese (almond base) with some nutritional yeast, or try coconut cream with a bit of dijon mustard and nutritional yeast. I hope that helps!