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There’s no need to boil the pasta! Just dump-and-bake for this easy 10-minute Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole!
The creamy Swiss cheese pasta is loaded with chicken and ham, and finished with a buttery breadcrumb topping. It’s a one-dish meal that your family will adore!
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole | 1-Minute Video
When I was testing recipes for this year’s Easter ham, I found myself with a lot of leftover meat in the freezer!
Ham sandwiches are delicious, but I needed to get a bit more creative if I was going to work my way through our entire stash. Like magic, my mind dreamed up this concoction…and it’s a keeper!
I took the classic Chicken Cordon Bleu from my childhood, and I gave it a dump-and-bake makeover.
What is Chicken Cordon Bleu?
The original dish includes chicken wrapped around cheese, which is then breaded and pan-fried or deep-fried. Some versions also include a slice of ham in the filling with the cheese.
The French term “cordon bleu” translates to blue ribbon, and has been used to describe food that has been prepared to a very high standard.
In this case, I’ve eliminated the need to pound chicken breasts flat, to roll them with toothpicks around ham and Swiss cheese, or to coat them with breadcrumbs. Nope, I’m not doing any of that!
Instead, I’m dumping the ingredients into one dish, popping it in the oven, and going on about my business. Because I’ve got LOTS of other business to attend to (namely, three little boys who all demand my attention at the exact same time).????
Shall I walk you through this?
How to make Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole:
You’ll start by whisking together the liquid:
- chicken stock or broth;
- a family-size jar of your favorite store-bought (or homemade) Alfredo sauce;
- and a little bit of wine (only if you like it). I’ve made this dish without the wine and it’s absolutely perfect, so no harm in leaving that ingredient out! You can just use additional broth instead of the booze.
Once your sauce is stirred together, you’ll add:
- an entire box of uncooked rotini pasta;
- a cup of leftover ham;
- a cup of diced chicken;
- and some grated Swiss cheese.
I used equal amounts of ham and chicken here, but you can certainly go with just one or the other (depending on what you have on hand). For instance, if you have a plethora of leftover ham, you can use 2 cups of the ham and omit the chicken entirely. Again, it’s up to you!
When all of your ingredients are combined in the dish, it will look like this (i.e., a lot of liquid)!
But don’t worry! Once you cover the dish tightly and bake it in the oven at 425 degrees F for about 45 minutes, the pasta will absorb most of the liquid.
The sauce will be thick and creamy, and you’ll finish off your Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole during the final few minutes with a sprinkling of buttered breadcrumbs.
See? I managed to include all of the classic Chicken Cordon Bleu flavors into one easy dump-and-bake dish.
You’ve got the chicken, the ham, the Swiss, and the breading…but none of the labor! It’s the updated, busy-mom’s version of a classic, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do!
What to serve with Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole:
There are a variety of easy vegetable sides that go well with this dish. Here are a few to get you started:
- a simple green salad dressed in Italian Balsamic Vinaigrette;
- Oven Roasted Asparagus;
- Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots;
- 2-Ingredient Italian Sugar Snap Peas;
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli.
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- I used equal amounts of ham and chicken here, but you can certainly go with just one or the other (depending on what you have on hand). For instance, if you have a plethora of leftover ham, you can use 2 cups of the ham and omit the chicken entirely.
- Use a large jar of store-bought Alfredo sauce, or use 2 1/2 cups of homemade Alfredo sauce.
- Skip the wine and use additional chicken broth, if you prefer.
- This is a great way to use up leftover chicken, but you can also just purchase a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store or use pre-cooked chicken such as Perdue ShortCuts.
- To add vegetables to the dish, try stirring some frozen peas into the pasta during the final 5-10 minutes of baking.
- For a Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with Rice, try this recipe.
- Instead of breadcrumbs, try making a Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with Ritz crackers on top! Simply crush the crackers until you have 1/4 cup of crumbs. Toss the crumbs with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and use in the recipe, just like you would use the buttered breadcrumbs.
- Cooking for a Smaller Family? Cut the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square pan. The cooking instructions and the baking time remain the same.
Other easy leftover ham recipes that you might enjoy:
- Leftover Ham and Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes
- Ham and Cheese Egg Casserole
- Ham, Brie and Apple Panini Sandwich
- 5-Ingredient Ham and Noodle Casserole
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (22 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce (about 2 ½ cups)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup white wine (or substitute with an additional 1 cup of chicken broth)
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked rotini pasta
- 1 cup grated Swiss cheese, divided
- 1 cup diced, cooked chicken
- 1 cup diced, cooked ham
- ÂĽ cup breadcrumbs combined with 1 tablespoon melted butter
- Garnish: fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together Alfredo sauce, chicken broth, and wine until completely smooth and combined.
- Stir in the uncooked pasta, ½ cup of cheese, chicken, and ham. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove dish from the oven and give it a stir. At this point you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but just about finished cooking). If it’s still too hard, cover the dish and return to the oven until pasta is al dente. Then move on to the next step.
- Once pasta is al dente and the sauce has thickened, sprinkle remaining ½ cup of cheese over the top, and finish with a layer of buttered breadcrumbs.
- Bake uncovered for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted and breadcrumbs are golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
Video
Notes
- I used equal amounts of ham and chicken here, but you can certainly go with just one or the other (depending on what you have on hand). For instance, if you have a plethora of leftover ham, you can use 2 cups of the ham and omit the chicken entirely.
- Use a large jar of store-bought Alfredo sauce, or use 2 1/2 cups of homemade Alfredo sauce.
- Skip the wine and use additional chicken broth, if you prefer.
- This is a great way to use up leftover chicken, but you can also just purchase a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store or use pre-cooked chicken such as Perdue ShortCuts.
- To add vegetables to the dish, try stirring some frozen peas into the pasta during the final 5-10 minutes of baking.
- For a Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with Rice, try this recipe.
- Instead of breadcrumbs, try making a Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with Ritz crackers on top! Simply crush the crackers until you have 1/4 cup of crumbs. Toss the crumbs with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and use in the recipe, just like you would use the buttered breadcrumbs.
- Cooking for a Smaller Family? Cut the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square pan. The cooking instructions and the baking time remain the same.
Appreciate this post. Wiill try it out.
Tried it for the first time tonight. It’s currently in the oven. When I make another one, can it be frozen? If so, how would you reheat. Thanks.
Hi Lisa! We haven’t tried but think it would freeze well. We recommend letting it thaw in the fridge and warming it in the oven at about 325 F. If it begins to brown too quickly, cover it with foil until your desired temperature is reached. Hope this helps!
Ooh, this would be a huge hit in our house! Yum!
Thanks, Kristy!
I love your recipes – they are simple and sophisticated, as well! My husband doesn’t eat ham. Is there anything I can substitute?
Why don’t you try canned chicken or tuna? Make it a tuna/cheese or chicken/cheese casserole?
Yep! Those would work as well! Thanks, Lindy!
Hi, Betsy! You can just use additional chicken in place of the ham. It will still be delicious! 🙂
Can this be frozen , thawed and baked latter?
Hi, Paula! Yes, I think that it would work well as a freezer meal. I haven’t tried it myself, though, so I can’t vouch for the frozen version. 🙂
You have the best recipes! Most of the ones I save and use are yours.
Thanks so much, Sylvia!
This is the 4th dump-and-bake recipe I have made in as many weeks. Easy, quick, delicious … Not just for families; I live alone, and make and eat these casseroles for the week. Reheat well, too.
That’s awesome, Amanda! I’m so glad to hear that the recipes have been helpful and that you’ve found some new favorites. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back here and let me know!
Sounds delicious!! My husband doesn’t like Swiss cheese. Is there another cheese you could recommend? Provolone maybe?
Yes, any good melting cheese will work! Provolone would be great, or even just cheddar. 🙂
Can this be done in a crock pot? Dump and “GO” is the game in our home!
Hi, LJ! Yes and no. I think it would work in the slow cooker, with a few caveats. First, you’ll want to keep a very close eye on the slow cooker, since pasta can quickly turn from perfect to overdone and mushy. If you’re out of the house and you’re not there to turn off the slow cooker, it might be gummy and overcooked by the time you get home. The other warning I’d mention is that the breadcrumbs will not get toasted on top, since there’s no heating element over the slow cooker. I would toast them in a skillet or omit them altogether if you’re using a Crock Pot (otherwise they’ll get soggy from the condensation).
Hope that helps!
This is super yummy! I doubled the chicken and ham and used whole wheat pasta. It took an extra 20 minutes to cook because of the whole wheat pasta and it was definitely worth it.
Great tips, Scarlett! Thank you!