I really love chicken cordon bleu. Just the idea of stuffing cheese and meat inside a chicken breast and covering it in crunchy bread crumbs makes my salivary glands ooze with wanton lust. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But there are not very many foods that make me go “mmmmmm” . This is another one of those “comfort foods”. Needless to say, it’s a top favorite of mine. But it’s not an easy dish to prepare. Mine generally looks nothing like the picture perfect ones you see in recipe books. I found this recipe at Chef-In-Training that’s a great casserole alternative. It is creamy and delicious. On my scale of difficulty, it’s a step a above easy but not quite medium. There is a bit of a prep time, about 20-25 minutes or so. But it’s so worth it.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Ingredients
- 10-12 oz. penne or ziti pasta
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 8 oz block cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
- 1 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese divided
- 2 chicken breasts cooked and cut into pieces
- 3/4 cup bacon cooked and chopped
- 3/4 cup diced ham
- bread crumbs for topping
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to its package’s directions, drain and set aside.
- Cook bacon and chop into small pieces and set aside.
- Chop ham and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat cream cheese over medium low heat until melted. Stir in heavy cream and stir until completely combined with cream cheese.
- Season cream cheese mixture with onion powder and garlic salt to taste. (I used minced garlic and salt instead).
- Stir 1 cup of cheese until mixture consistency is smooth.
- Spray 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Layer noodles, chicken, bacon and ham. Pour sauce over top. Sprinkle top with 1/2 cup cheese and bread crumbs.
- Bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes or until heated through and top crust forms.
