This Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole packs the beloved flavors from the classic dish into a creamy, cheesy, crunchy baked pasta. Filled with tender chicken, ham and Swiss cheese, it’s a family-friendly meal great any day of the week or for a get-together. So easy to prepare, and a surefire win at the dinner table!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fast: All the chicken Cordon Bleu flavors, none of the breading frying (or sometimes oven-baking) steps.
Comfort Food Destroyer: Creamy and cheesy and cloaked in crunchy breadcrumbs, this is comfort food personified.
Crowd-Pleaser: This casserole is filling and tasty; kids as well as grown-ups will eat it up.
Flexible: Substitute leftover chicken or ham, change up the cheeses or seasonings to taste.
Key Ingredients
Pasta: Use some heft: Short pasta, like penne, rigatoni or rotini can cling to the creamy sauce, and create a more satisfying bite.
Chicken and Ham: The pair that lend this casserole its “cordon bleu” appeal. Use leftover roasted chicken, rotisserie chicken from the store, or cook a chicken yourself. As for the ham, deli cuts and cubed ham are great, too.
Swiss Cheese: The nutty flavor and tang of Swiss cheese are crucial to achieving that iconic flavor of the dish. For added creaminess, grate it yourself from a block.
Cream cheese and milk create the base of this casserole’s rich and gooey cheese sauce, which yes, adds a deliciously creamy aspect.
Giving the filling its lift as well as its color, panko bread crumbs create a lighter, crispier topping than bread crumbs, and they’re what give the crust its crunchy gold.
A sprinkle of cayenne pepper provides a whisper of background heat that further enriches the creamy sauce without overpowering it.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the Pasta
In a wide pot, bring salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add your pasta and cook for al dente (about 11 minutes, longer for whole wheat pasta).
Drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.
Step 2: Mix Chicken and Ham
Carefully fold in the cooked and cubed chicken and ham with the drained pasta.
Mix it all through until combined.
Step 3: Prepare the Sauce
Preheat your broiler.
In a medium saucepan, combine:
1 cup of milk
4 ounces of cream cheese
1 tablespoon of minced onion
Stir for 5 minutes on low-medium heat till smooth and creamy.
Drizzle the sauce over the pasta mixture in the pot, tossing to coat.
Add:
1 C shredded Swiss cheese
Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste.
Step 4: Construct the Casserole
Pour the pasta mixture into a prepared baking dish.
Evenly sprinkle Panko breadcrumbs on top.
Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the breadcrumbs to aid browning and crisping.
Step 5: Broil and Serve
Transfer the baking dish under the broiler and let it bubble for about 4 minutes, until the topping is brown and crispy. Be careful not to burn it.
Take out of the oven and serve hot.
