Chicken Cordon Bleu-Style French Tacos Recipe

French tacos ... contrary to the name, we're not talking duck l'orange–filled corn tortillas. French tacos aren't really like tacos at all. They're more like the procreation of a burrito and a panini. Giant tortillas are stuffed with meat, french fries, and Cruyère cheese — this is the blueprint for any French tacos, but the variations are limitless.

Leah Maroney takes the makings of classic chicken cordon bleu, then stuffs and presses the ingredients into said giant tortilla. We're talking chicken cutlets, ham, french fries, and homemade cheese sauce. The result is a crunchy, chewy, cheesy, little packet of goodness that you won't be able to stop eating.

The tacos themselves are thought to have originated in the '90s or early 2000s in French cities. Kebab-style meat is a common filling for French tacos, likely due to the amount of Turkish doner kebab street carts that are common throughout European cities. French tacos are the ultimate French street food fusion, and they are definitely worth making at home.

French tacos are all about a cheesy, crunchy bite, so, of course, it's going to start with crispy French fries. Any type of fry will do — if you're feeling ambitious, you can make homemade french fries. We opted for frozen fries. Once they're in the oven, pound and dredge chicken breasts in flour, which are pan-fried in oil for a nice crisp bite. The cheese sauce is made in the same pan (yay, fewer dishes!) with butter, garlic, flour, chicken broth, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, and lots of Gruyère cheese. We used large flour tortillas (the bigger, the better) and stuffed them with the crunchy fries, chicken, sliced deli ham, and lots of cheese sauce. Once they've been panini pressed, add some ketchup and mayo ... no, you didn't hear wrong! As surprising as it sounds, they both make for a delicious, sweet, and tangy finish to this ultimate stuffed wrap.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Add the french fries to a baking sheet and bake until crispy and golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Slice each chicken breast into 2–3 thin filets and season with salt and pepper.

Pound the chicken breast filets into thinner cutlets using a mallet or rolling pin.

Dredge each cutlet in flour, reserving 2 tablespoons of the remaining flour.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.

Add the cutlets to the hot oil in one even layer (this will be done in 2 batches) and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Flip and brown on the other side. Remove the cutlets and set aside.

Add butter, garlic, and reserved flour to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, and Dijon mustard to the butter and stir until incorporated.

Slowly add in the shredded cheese, whisking after each addition, until a thick sauce forms. Set aside.

Place a tortilla on a flat surface and top with ¼ of the french fries, 2 chicken cutlets, 4 slices of ham, and 2 tablespoons cheese sauce. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Roll the tortillas into a burrito shape.

Heat a grill pan or panini press on medium-high heat.

Add the tortillas to the pan, press down, and cook for 2–3 minutes.

Flip the tortillas and cook for another 2–3 minutes.

Remove from the grill pan and serve with mayonnaise and ketchup, if desired.

French tacos are so much fun because they're so versatile. We decided to make a quick chicken cutlet for this dish, but if you want to make it even easier, try using pre-made frozen chicken tenders. Pop them in the air fryer to get them nice and crisp, and then go about the rest of the recipe as written. The crunchiness goes so well with the creamy cheese sauce and it's a great shortcut to the recipe. 

If you aren't a fan of chicken cordon bleu, you can completely change the contents of the French tacos. The cheese sauce and french fries are essential to the dish, but the meats can be substituted. Try using pre-made gyro slices (these can be found in the meat department), shaved steak, sliced roast beef, browned ground beef, or sliced turkey or chicken. You can even make these vegetarian — falafel, pickled vegetables, or even mozzarella sticks can be used in place of the meat. 

French tacos, like burritos, are a delicious freezer snack, but this specific variation is best eaten when it's freshly made — this is the only way to ensure that the french fries are nice and crunchy. However, they are definitely still delicious after freezing. Simply assemble the French tacos and then wrap them in plastic wrap, either before or after pressing and toasting them. Then, store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. They provide an easy and filling dish when you're hungry but short on time. When you want to enjoy the French tacos again, just pop them in the microwave or back onto the panini press until heated completely through; they can also be reheated in the air fryer. These French tacos can also be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Leave the mayonnaise and ketchup out of the filling until you are ready to serve, if you're using those sauces.