Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole recipe

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I hope everyone who celebrated had a wonderful Easter. We had an Easter full of great food. I was still too stuffed when I woke up to even consider eating breakfast. For lunch, I stuck a single slice of ham in a leftover Hawaiian sweet roll (made from scratch for the first time, and they were delicious — recipe here), and that was more than enough to leave me feeling stuffed again.

I promised ya’ll a recipe to make with that leftover holiday ham. Warning: this recipe is so delicious that you will want to make it year round. A one pound ham steak will supply you with the 3 cups of ham needed for this recipe.

I’ve divided the ingredients into sections based on the cooking stage in which you will need them.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp each ground mustard, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

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• 1 lb cooked ham, cubed
• 4 cups egg noodles, cooked el dente –rinse in cold water
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• 1 onion, diced
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk, cream, or half & half
• 16 oz Swiss cheese, shredded
• dash ginger
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• 5 tbsp butter, melted
• 2/3 cup panko
• 1/4 tsp each ground mustard, thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder
• 1/3 cup Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375*

(I like to do this step earlier in the day) In small bowl or ramekin, combine seasonings and olive oil. Generously rub all over chicken breasts. Place on a rimmed cookie sheet. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes to one hour, until chicken is done.

Allow chicken to rest for 20 minutes. Cube chicken and return to pan. Toss in pan juices. Rest another 10 minutes to soak up all that delicious flavor.

Reduce oven temperature to 350* Grease two 13 x 9 baking dishes.

In large bowl mix cubed chicken, cooled pasta, and cubed ham. Set aside.

In large saucepan, cook onion in butter until translucent. Whisk in flour and cook until golden. Slowly whisk in cream or milk. Cook, whisking often, until sauce is thickened.

Stir in Swiss and ginger. Continue stirring until cheese is melted and creamy. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken, ham, and noodles.

Spread mixture in prepared baking dishes.

Melt butter in a small frying pan. Add panko and seasonings. Cook, stirring often, until golden. Sprinkle over prepared casserole. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Cook’s notes:

Stir in 1 cup of peas for a deliciously nutritious addition.

Swiss and gruyere shredded together make a perfect compliment to each other and this recipe.