This easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole is ready in about 45 minutes! But if you’re using leftover chicken, cut that time in half! This casserole is so simple and will make lots of happy plates!
Traditionally Chicken Cordon Bleu is a chicken breast stuffed with ham and swiss and then breaded and baked. This doesn’t always turn out well… even for me. I find that my chicken is usually undercooked or overcooked and I get frustrated with dinner and don’t want to make or eat it again. But, with this casserole, you get all the flavors of traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu with half a quarter of the work! You can make your life even easier and make this casserole even quicker by using a can of cream of chicken soup. But if you use this homemade version you’ll be a lot happier (and healthier)!
Casseroles are great, and since I started working out, I appreciate them more and more. I can toss a casserole in the oven before the gym and come home to a perfectly cooked meal, or if it’s something simple like this Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, I just toss it in the oven when I get home, and by the time the noodles are done cooking, dinner is warmed and ready to serve.
Egg noodles accompany this recipe really well, and like the Chicken Pot Pie Pasta that I make, the base of this dish can be tossed with some pasta for Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta (recipe to come)! This dish makes me think of an episode of The Sopranos. When Bobby’s wife Karen dies, everyone brings him over casseroles and such, and there is a woman who brings him some Chicken Marsala. When she tells him to heat it up, she gives him the instructions and says “with some egg noodles if you have them”. Every time I think of egg noodles, I think of that episode.
Ok.. enough about TV and back to Chicken Cordon Bleu. If you wanted to add some veggies, stir in some frozen peas or broccoli (I like the baby broccoli) to the base, and you’re ready to go. Dinners like this make weeknight dinners so easy!
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces OR 2 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1/4 lb thick sliced ham (from the deli)
4 tbsp flour
1/2 stick butter
1 large clove galic, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp each; black pepper and thyme
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk or cream
3 green onions, sliced (optional)
1/4 lb thinly sliced swiss cheese (from the deli)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp parsley
2 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degres.
In a large pan over medium-high meat, melt butter until shimmering. Add chicken, garlic and green onions (if using) and season with salt, pepper and thyme. If using fresh chicken, cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly until chicken is browned on each side and no longer pink in the middle. If using already cooked chicken, cook in butter for 2 minutes to heat through.
Add flour to chicken and stir to fully coat all of the chicken. Cook for 1 minute.
Add chicken stock, milk and dijon mustard. Stir, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom until the sauce thickens – about 3 minutes.
Stir in ham and veggies, if using.
Transfer mixture to a casserole dish. Top with cheese.
Stir together salt, parsley and bread crumbs. Evenly spread over swiss cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and the top is golden brown. Serve immediately with egg noodles.
Alternatively; skip the flour, chicken stock and milk steps and just add a 15oz can of cream of chicken soup, or if you’re using your own homemade cream of chicken soup, add 3 cups.
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