Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole is a quick and easy weeknight dinner, made with chicken, ham, and peas in a savory cheesy sauce and topped with swiss cheese and crispy bread crumbs, ready in under 45 minutes!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole is a different take on a classic dinner, and one of my favorite easy recipes that can feed your whole family in under 45 minutes. This is the perfect easy weeknight meal that only takes a few minutes to throw together. It’s made with chopped chicken and ham, and is the perfect way to use up leftovers the next day. You can also use this recipe to use up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving! I added peas to this recipe because I wanted to include vegetables somewhere, you can also try using broccoli or spinach, or just leave the veggies out entirely.
What side dishes go well with chicken cordon bleu?
Chicken cordon bleu casserole is a rich comfort food dish, so it goes well with lighter sides. Try roasted vegetables, rice, or even cauliflower rice.
- Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli
- Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
How do you know when chicken cordon bleu casserole is cooked?
This recipe calls for fully cooked boneless chicken and ham, so we’re mostly re-heating in the oven until the cheese is melted and the top is golden brown.
You want to bake this dish uncovered in the oven. To make the top even more crispy, turn on the broiler for a minute or less. Make sure to watch it closely so it doesn’t burn!
Can you make this ahead of time?
You can assemble this casserole ahead of time and bake when ready. I wouldn’t assemble more than a day ahead, and cover carefully in the refrigerator.
After it’s cooked, it will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Can you freeze chicken cordon bleu casserole?
You can put the casserole together without the sauce or topping, then tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and tinfoil before putting in the freezer. Move to the refrigerator the night before baking, add the sauce and toppings the day of, and bake.
I would not recommend putting chicken cordon bleu casserole in the freezer after cooking because the cheese sauce may not reheat well once frozen.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- You can cube chicken into 1-inch pieces and sautee it in a few tablespoons of olive oil or butter until it is cooked through if you don’t have any that is already cooked. Then follow the recipe as written.
- I usually use this recipe for leftover chicken, but I’ve also used shredded rotisserie chicken in a pinch (if you have extra rotisserie chicken, it also works well for this rotisserie chicken salad, or chicken soup!).
- Chicken cordon bleu typically calls for skinless chicken breasts, but I’ve used any fully cooked chicken or turkey meat for this recipe and it turns out fine.
- I mixed the swiss with mozzarella cheese to give it more texture, but you can use all swiss if that’s what you have. Provolone and muenster are also good options (if you don’t have shredded, layer the provolone slices before topping with bread crumbs). Other mild cheeses will work, too.
- The sauce will thicken as it cooks, but once it starts it usually thickens pretty quickly. Don’t worry if it seems thin at first.
- I use 2% milk in the sauce to try and lighten up the recipe, but you can use whole milk or skim milk if that’s what you have. If you want it to be really indulgent, substitute part of the milk with heavy cream.
- If you don’t want to use milk, you can use the same amount of cups chicken broth or vegetable broth. Keep in mind the dish will be lighter, and the flavors of the broth you use will matter (it will be more like thickened gravy).
- This recipe calls for ground mustard, but if you don’t have it you can use a teaspoon of dijon mustard whisked into the cheese sauce.
- I didn’t add salt to the recipe because the ham has enough sodium, but you can season with salt to taste depending on your preference. You can add black pepper to taste as well.
- Add a dash of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the cheese mixture if you want some heat.
- For the bread crumb topping, I used plain gluten free breadcrumbs. You can use seasoned gluten free bread crumbs if that’s what you have. If you’re not gluten free, you can also use panko bread crumbs.
- If you want to try something different or you’re not a swiss cheese fan, make this recipe but subsitute the swiss cheese for cheddar. The cheddar chicken bake would go well over gluten free pasta. Endless dinner ideas!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups fully cooked ham, cubed
- 2 1/2 lbs fully cooked chicken, boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large onion , chopped
- 1 cup peas , frozen
For the Sauce
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp gluten free 1-to-1 flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup Swiss cheese , shredded
- 1/2 cup mozzarella , shredded
For the Topping
- 4 tbsp butter , melted
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free bread crumbs
- 1 cup Swiss cheese , shredded
Equipment
- casserole dish
- sauce pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a large baking dish. Mix together ham, chicken, onion, and peas in the baking dish and set aside.
- In the sauce pan over medium heat melt butter. Sprinkle in flour, whisking constantly until flour starts to brown and smell slightly nutty. Slowly whisk in milk, and add spices. Whisk frequently until mixture starts to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
- Once flour mixture starts to thicken, add shredded Swiss and mozzarella cheese and whisk until melted. Pour over chicken and ham mixture, using spoon to carefully stir everything together.
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter and bread crumbs. Combine with shredded Swiss cheese, and sprinkle mixture evenly on top of casserole.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and casserole is heated through.
Notes
Nutrition
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