Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
If you are looking for a much easier, but still classically-flavored chicken cordon bleu recipe than this casserole is the recipe for you!
I’m not really a casserole lover, I must admit (do you still love me??). Something about all those ingredients trapped together makes me uncomfortable, especially in light of the fact that “open and dump” casseroles just aren’t my thing, really.
But I have had success with a few other wonderful casseroles in my lifetime and this chicken cordon bleu concoction ranks right up there.
In fact, it just might take the casserole cake for deliciousness.
Tender potatoes coated in a creamy, rich cheese sauce are layered in a dish and topped with chicken and ham.
All of these lovely ingredients are covered in the same silky sauce and topped with a buttery bread crumb crust.
The casserole is baked until bubbly and golden and the result is such a wonderful combination of flavors that it made me realize I can put off conquering “real” chicken cordon bleu for a while and enjoy this instead.
A perfect dish to take-in to someone, equally perfect for a potluck, and it made wonderful leftovers. Personally, I had to tie my arms to my chair in order to resist going back for thirds.
What To Serve With This:
Roasted Asparagus
Divine Breadsticks
Spinach Salad with Sweet-Spicy Nuts, Apples, Feta & Bacon or Strawberry Spinach Salad
One Year Ago: White Velvet Sugar Cookies
Two Years Ago: Buttermilk Banana Bread
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Ingredients
Topping:
- 4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, about 4-5 medium, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream or milk
- 6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded, about 2 cups
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and sliced thinly
- 9 ounces deli ham, chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- For the topping, process the bread and butter in a food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside.
- For the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, making sure the oven rack is in the middle. Place the potatoes, 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are partially cooked, about 2 minutes (don’t overcook because they will continue to cook in the oven!). Carefully drain potatoes, or remove them with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a bowl. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute (this helps cook out the flour taste in the roux). Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and the cream or milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking often, until slightly thickened (if using milk instead of cream, you may have to cook longer for it to thicken up a bit).
- Off the heat, whisk in the Swiss cheese, Dijon, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
- Toss the potatoes with half of the sauce and spread into the bottom of a lightly greased 9X13-inch baking pan. Layer alternating pieces of the chicken and ham over the potatoes, overlapping as needed. This is not a scientific procedure, just make sure that the chicken is in a single layer (not on top of each other) so that it cooks thoroughly. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the chicken and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping.
- Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the casserole is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes (add about 5-7 additional minutes onto the baking time if baking it after it has chilled in the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours). Sprinkle with parsley and cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: Cover and Bake from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated
Just made this a couple hours ago for dinner! Very good! I halved the recipe..but accidentally added the full amount of cheese rather than the half.and was still great! Also…I was a little impatient and I dug right in as soon as I took it out of the oven so it was a little runny. I should’ve let it set for a few minutes, but Tony and I were so hungry after smelling it cook in the oven, we couldn’t wait. LOL I have the next two days off work, so I will be keeping myself busy in the kitchen with more of your recipes, so expect more comments from me. Thanks for this one!
Kimiko – I always enjoy seeing your comments pop up on a recipe; thanks for taking the time to leave them. Glad you liked this casserole, despite the runniness. It does help to let it set up a bit, but either way, the taste should be the same!
Aw man…I really wanted to like this. Sadly, it just didn’t “work”. The separate components all seemed just fine, but it never quite came together as one dish, but rather felt like different layers that all happened to be in the same pan. I was kinda bummed out by it. But one miss out of all the hits is still a pretty good ratio! The good news is, I made the rhubarb cake to go along with it and it was perfect!
Reyna – I actually like you even more for still commenting even when this recipe didn’t work out for you. I think it is equally helpful for other’s to read comments from people who haven’t had stellar results. I’m glad the rhubarb cake helped redeem the meal. 🙂
WOW – this was great – we loved this casserole! I’ve made several of your dishes and everything i’ve tried is absolutely fabulous. Love your blog and recipes – keep them coming!
Thanks, Sue – I’m glad that this casserole worked out well for you. Thanks for the nice comment!
I am going to try this next week for an evening dinner / baby shower. Sounds delicious and right up the new mama’s alley! But for 11 ladies, I think I will need to make 2… and will definitely have to do them the morning of and keep them in the fridge.
Holy cow, this is GOOD. Made it this weekend. OK, so the changes we did are these:
We were out of potatoes. Ryan cooked to al dente some egg noodles, about 1/2 pound, and used those instead. Perfect.
We only used about 1.5 cups of swiss cheese. Still gave it that wonderful creamy flavor and texture, but with less of it. We didn’t miss the rest.
Used just under a half pound deli ham, cut into small pieces. We also used only about 3/4 pound chicken, cut into small pieces. REALLY great, and we still got a bite of chicken in about every 3rd bite, which was good for us.
OK, thank you for this winner of a recipe.
Julianne – as always, love your changes. Looks great and I’m so glad you liked it!
Hi, I’m a frequent stalker of this blog. Your husband’s cousin’s wife (or something like that), Julianne, is an old college roommate of mine and referred me to your site. I just wanted to tell you that I tried this recipe for a Mothers’ Day dinner for my mother-in-law and it was a HUGE hit. I was worried it would be too time-intensive, but my kind husband volunteered to do all the chopping of the ham, chicken, and potatoes, while I worked with the sauce and assembling of the casserole, so that made it go pretty quick.
I am not a big casserole fan either, but this one was amazing. I’ve already recommended it to my sisters and mom. This is a recipe we will make again! Thanks for your great website–I use it often.
Stephanie – well, if you are a friend of Julianne’s, you are automatically a friend of mine (since she is one of my favorite people in the whole world). Anyway, I’m so glad that this casserole was a huge hit, especially since you were making it for the in-laws! Thanks for letting me know!
I made this a couple of days ago, and I must say that it was simply divine! My husband, who isn’t a casserole lover, really liked it as well. I did make one change – I hate working with/cutting up raw chicken, so I used some cooked and diced rotisserie chicken instead, and I thought it was fabulous. Thanks for an awesome recipe – this dish will be making more appearances at our table for sure. 🙂
Camille – every time I see a comment on this recipe, it makes me want to make it. I love it that much and am thrilled you and your husband loved it, too! Thanks for letting me know (and including your changes with the chicken).
I made this for dinner over the weekend for my husband and my sister & brother in-law. They loved it! My husband requested that I make it weekly. Next time I think I will boil the potatoes a little more, they turned out a little crunchy. I thought it was really good, although it was a little time-consuming to make.
Thanks Mel!
Michelle – well, you would be the best wife ever if you really did make this weekly – considering you are right that it is a little time intensive. Either way, though, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
OH… YUM… Can’t wait to make this for dinner (tonight). You have combined three of my favorite things: au gratin potatoes, ham, and a one-dish entree!
Oh, this was so good! The sauce was just tangy enough, and I loved that the potatoes were added in–side dish taken care of!
JoAnn – so glad you liked this (and I agree…it’s so nice to have your side dish automatically taken care of!).
Thank you so much for posting this! It’s such a delicious and different way to use up leftover Easter ham and potatoes. It does take some time to make, but it’s so worth it.
My husband and I want to make this our traditional New Year’s Day meal (to use up some of the leftover Christmas ham).
Thanks for all your great recipes!
Lucy – what a great idea to make this a New Year’s Day meal! I might have to steal your idea and do it myself. 🙂
Mel–WOW! A friend of mine HIGHLY recommended your website to me, and now I know why! I simply cannot WAIT to try this recipe! Looking around, I think I’m going to feel that way about most of them! 😉 So thank you!!
Joey – thanks for the tip on the potatoes. I’m really glad you enjoyed this overall dish – thanks so much for letting me know (and your sister-in-law is awfully lucky that you went to all this work for her!).
This was really good. I made it for my sis-in-law’s birthday dinner. Everyone enjoyed it. But I had a TON of potatoes. I was not sure about the size of the potatoes I had, so I weighed 3 pounds out, and there were millions of them!!! I would stick with the 5-6 next time instead of the 3 pounds. I also used chicken tenders, mostly becasue they were in the freezer and I didn’t want to go hauling out for breasts and they worked really well. And made it really easy to get out of the pan, without flinging stuff all over the kitchen. Really a 5 star meal! Thank you for such a fun dish.
Ann – sorry the cayenne was a turn off and that overall this meal didn’t work out for you. I can understand that as a working mother you might need to look for casseroles that are quicker to put together (although parts of this can be made ahead). Better luck next time!
My family didnt like the cayenne pepper in this. Also I would not cut the chicken so fine. You couldn’t even taste the chicken. I’m a working mother and it took too long to prepare.
Nate – I’ll try to pretend you can still be a part of the family even though you don’t like potatoes. I actually never knew that. I’m glad despite that aversion that it still tasted ok for you guys. Thanks for letting me know!
Hey Mel, we made this tonight. The sauce, chicken, ham and topping is great. However, we are not potato lovers… in fact, I despise potatoes. I only like potatoes in the french-fry form. Next time, and there will be a next time, Kylie is going to do everything the same except exclude the potatoes and serve it over rice. I share your general opinion on casseroles, and I don’t think we’ve had one in years, but this one is pretty flavorful and is a great middle ground for children and parents.
Kelly – mumbling compliments over dinner is always a good thing. Thanks for letting me know this worked out well!
Stephanie – thanks for checking in! I’m so glad this casserole was a hit…thanks for letting me know!
Hey Mel – you NEVER fail me either!!! I made this casserole as a take in meal and luckily got to eat it with them. So delicious. AND, I go to Chrissie K’s church – she introduced me to “you”, and for that I will forever be grateful 🙂
Thanks for finally posting this, Melanie! I’ve been waiting patiently so I could make it for myself and share it with Troy.
Your web site is wonderful and very easy to navigate.I look forward to exploring all your offerings. Thank you
The minute I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. My husband (who claims not to like swiss cheese or scalloped-type potatoes) mumbled halfway through his second helping, “this is really good!” Thanks so much for sharing, we loved it!
chrissie k. – well first, bless you for being a pastor’s wife and for the good you do there, and second, bless you for feeding others! I’m glad this casserole was a hit and that you enjoy the recipes on this blog. Your comment made my day. Thank you!
HANDS DOWN best casserole recipe I’ve made. Mel, you have a gift, woman! I am a pastor’s wife — we CONSTANTLY have people in our home. I have made a number of your recipes w/o even trying ’em out for our guests and you have NEVER failed me! You are my go-to girl… thank you for sharing your talent w/ the world 🙂 YOU ROCK.
Bruce – I’d eat it on a sponge, too, if it makes you feel any better. Thanks for letting me know this has been a hit!
Awesome recipe!!! The sauce is great, you could put it on a sponge and you would gladly eat every bite. We are making it for the second time in 3 days.
Amy – I’m so glad you liked this! I’m not sure how rice would sub and affect the liquid…but I’m a fan of subbing so if you try it, let me know!
Hi Mel. I LOVE your site!!! I mad this today and it is SO yummy! Passed the recipe on to my mom–was wondering about subbing rice instead of the potatoes. What do you think?
eydie/shebrews – I’m so glad that you liked this! The raw part made me nervous, too, but it really works out! Your addition of veggies sounds great.
Mel:
I made this. WOW. I didn’t have the thyme. I also added a pre-steamed bag of cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. I skimped on the chicken because the raw part scared me, but now I am over that, and I wouldn’t skimp a bit. It is absolutely divine! thanks
Oh, Mel, I LOVE this. Oh my gosh, I think the angels would step down from their clouds to share this earthly bite with you. FABULOUS!
Thanks, Mel!
You are right…I forgot about the potatoes (and the fact that they don’t freeze well).
Wow, I’ve never had chicken cordon bleu but I have a feeling I’ll be trying it in casserole form long before I make the real deal. This looks amazing and seems easier than pounding chicken breasts and rolling up ham and cheese inside them. And I love the addition of potatoes and sauce–it sounds wonderful!
Kim in MD – I love the thought of a frozen meal; however I would be a bit nervous about freezing this one because of the potatoes. In my experience (with soups and things) potatoes never freeze well. This one may be best made and baked fresh.
pearse – by thinly sliced chicken, I’m talking about 1/4-inch slices. Probably about the same for a stir-fry.
eydie/shebrews – yes, the chicken is raw. It cooks in the oven with everything else.
is the chicken breast raw? I am not sure, so I need to know. thanks
Hey Mel
When you say thinly sliced chicken ,how thin are we talking here. is it like chinese chicken prep for stir fry or chicken salad.
The dish looks APPETIZING!.Eager to try it out
this is such a great idea for a casserole, it looks wonderful!
my good friend just had her first baby and i’ve been pondering what to take as a meal for the family–this is PERFECT. ’tis fate, melanie–thanks!
My sister’s in-laws have a reverse cordon bleu casserole that they make, but it is nothing like this. I am going to have to try yours to see how they compare… This recipe definitely looks healthier.
I’ve been intimidated by chicken cordon bleu as well, now not so much! Thanks and I’ll be making this for Sunday dinner 🙂
Melanie, I love the new site! Wow, I’ll bet that was time consuming. You are super woman!
My family loves chicken cordon bleu so I know this will be a hit!
I do love casseroles, and this one looks just awesome 🙂 I might try this for our next potluck.
Mmmm, this looks perfect. I was just thinking the other day that I needed to stick ham and potatoes together in a casserole, now I don’t have to do any work to figure it out! Thanks!
Wow, this looks great. Chicken, cheese and ham. Yum!
I love chicken cordon bleu, but am too nervous to make it. This sounds like a fantastic alternative!
I’m not a casserole lover either, but this one looks really good!
Mel- do you think this casserole could be frozen (uncooked)? Wouldn’t it be great to make this on a day when you have free time, and then freeze for a day when you don’t? Let me know your thoughts…thanks again for sharing your fabulous recipes with us!
This looks amazing! I love that you can assemble the whole casserole in advance! Thanks for sharing, Mel! 🙂