This Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole will knock your socks off. It is so much easier than a traditional rolled and breaded cordon bleu and has even more flavor. With chicken, ham, and swiss in a creamy dijon sauce, you won't miss the breading one bit. Since you aren't coating or stuffing the chicken it is quick and easy. This is pure comfort food and an easy main course dinner. This easy recipe is low carb, keto, gluten free, grain free, sugar free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
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I love chicken cordon bleu. But it's always breaded.
This has been on my to-do list since my husband and I went to a fundraiser back in May. They had the best chicken cordon bleu ever. I knew I could make the same flavors into a killer casserole.
My casserole version was a hit with my family. I wasn't sure if the kids would like the swiss cheese (honestly, I'm not a huge swiss cheese fan) but it worked so well with this flavor combination there were no complaints.
What is Chicken Cordon Bleu
Here is a little history on this iconic dish (thank you, Wikipedia ):
A cordon bleu or schnitzel cordon bleu is a dish of meat wrapped around cheese (or with cheese filling), then breaded and pan-fried or deep-fried. (Veal) cordon bleu is made of veal pounded thin and wrapped around a slice of ham and a slice of cheese, breaded, and then pan fried or baked . [1] For chicken cordon bleu chicken breast is used instead of veal. [2] Ham cordon bleu is ham stuffed with mushrooms and cheese. [3]
The origins of cordon bleu as a schnitzel filled with cheese are in Switzerland, probably about the 1940s, first mentioned in a cookbook from 1949. The earliest reference to "chicken cordon bleu" in The New York Times is dated to 1967, while similar veal recipes are found from at least 1955. [6]
What to serve with Chicken Casserole
I suggest serving this with a green salad or green vegetables such as garlic broccoli or roasted asparagus . You can also serve with keto mashed cauliflower .
What kind of sauce goes with Chicken Cordon Bleu
We love this creamy lemon sauce on our Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. It is rich with the butter and cream cheese and the lemon juice, mustard, and white wine really help the flavors to pop.
Sometimes I just make the sauce and drizzle on chicken tenders or vegetables.
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
First Step: Layer chicken and ham in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Second Step: Make the sauce and spread it on top.
Third Step: Layer on the cheese.
Fourth Step: Bake until hot, bubbly, and golden.
What to serve with Keto Chicken Cordon Bleu
This is a very rich casserole. Butter. Cream Cheese. Swiss Cheese. You get the drift. So I serve this with lighter side dishes like a green salad, oven-roasted green beans , steamed cauliflower, or roasted asparagus .
Tips & Tweaks
I've had readers sub in other mild cheeses like provolone, mozzarella, or Havarti so feel free to tailor this to your family's tastes.
One of the most important things for this recipe to make sure the chicken is nice and juicy. If the chicken is moist this will be moist and flavorful. If you are started with dry chicken I recommend making 1.5 times the sauce to compensate. Or even doubling it.
You can even save a step by baking chicken tenderloins, draining the cooking liquid, and then proceeding with the recipe. No shredding required!
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Ingredients
- 6 cups shredded cooked chicken (from about 2 lb chicken)
- 6 oz ham cut into bite size pieces
- 4 oz butter melted
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white wine (optional)
- 1 oz lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 oz swiss cheese
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350. Put the chicken in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Layer the pieces of ham on top.
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In a large bowl with an electric mixer combine the melted butter, softened cream cheese, white wine (if using), mustard, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until a thick sauce forms. Spread this sauce over the chicken and ham in the baking dish.
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Lay the slices of swiss cheese on top of the sauce. Bake for 30-40 minutes until hot.
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I broiled it for 2 minutes at the end so the cheese would get more golden and bubbly. If you decided to do that do not leave it unattended. It's very easy to burn the cheese topping.
Notes
- If you have a bottle of dry white wine open it adds a nice flavor. But I wouldn't open a new bottle just for this recipe. Unless you are planning on having a glass while you cook.
- If your shredded chicken is on the dry side you may want to double the amount of sauce or add in ¼ cup of chicken broth and mix the sauce into the shredded chicken before adding the toppings.
- You can use chicken tenderloins instead of shredded chicken. Just cook, drain the cooking liquid, and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Nutrition
Originally Published August 31, 2016. Revised and Republished with a new video on May 6, 2019.
Peggy Beach says
This is the bomb! Made this 2x this week
Shell says
Family didn’t like it at all.
Taryn says
I'm sorry to hear that! This one normally gets great reviews.
Maxine Moates says
Can you put this together the night before, refrigerate it, and then bake it the next day? Please answer quickly as I want to serve it to guest this weekend.
Taryn says
Yes.
And I do try to answer as quickly as possible while keeping somewhat normal working hours 😉 I can't work 24/7.
Maxine Moates says
Thank you so much for answering quickly. Looking forward to trying this. Will let you know how it turns out. Have a blessed day. Maxie Moates
Bob 2.0 says
I turned this into a Monti Christo like at DisneyLand. Make french toast out of an egg bread, and top it with the Cordon-Bleu-Cassarole. Serve with a blackberry jam on the side.
Taryn says
That sounds amazing, Bob. Thanks for sharing!
Kristin says
This is phenomenal. Mine was SUPER moist - enough so that we scooped this over egg noodles and it basically created a light sauce. It's possible that the way I cook my chicken (in the crockpot) has something to do with this coming out moist. And great flavor. Definitely a keeper!
Danyelle Barton says
Absolutely amazing recipe! Even my picky kiddos devoured their plates! No leftovers either, which is rare! Keeping this on rotation in our house! Thank you!
Michelle says
Did you use ham lunch meat?
Taryn says
Yup!
Lisa says
This looks amazing and going to try it.. How can I make it with less sodium?
Taryn says
The chicken, ham, and cheese naturally have sodium. You can choose a low sodium ham and omit any added salt.
Linda Kleinheinz says
This is a keeper recipe! 2nd time making it. So easy using a chicken from Costco. I used a little smaller baking dish and eyeballed the chicken. Just cut it up and filled up the bottom. I added more wine too. You won't be disappointed with this easy method!
Shelby says
I love that this is made into a casserole! So easy and great for weeknights!
Raquel says
Great weeknight meal idea for a hearty dinner.
Julie Keller says
Does this freeze well ? I'm getting ready to have surgery
Taryn says
Yes, I’ve had readers freeze this successfully. I haven’t frozen it myself but I’d suggest freezing after you layer the ingredients (with cooked chicken) but before baking. Make sure your chicken isn’t dry.
Jackie says
The flavor was good. I don’t know where the cream sauce went to and where all the water came from. I will try it again but will all some cheese to the cream sauce and mix it through out the meat not just put I on too. My son thought the chicken was tough since it was cooked twice. I will give it a second chance.
Taryn says
Some brands of ham can release a lot of liquid. Also, make sure the chicken is moist when you shred it. Alternatively, you can use chicken tenders and not shred them.
Bertha says
It was just ok. Kinda dry.
Taryn says
It shouldn't be dry if your chicken was moist to start. 🙂
Debra says
Was so good and except for shredding the chicken, it was easy. Will definitely make again.
Meagan says
use a hand mixer and deep mixing bowl to shred your chicken. it sounds weird but works so well and only takes a couple minutes with very little mess.
Dawn says
So delicious! I add the white wine and I always double the sauce since I usually serve this over rice and the sauce is delicious with the rice. I also add buttered bread crumbs on top as an homage to the traditional breaded chicken cordon bleu. There’s hardly ever any leftovers!
Glenda says
This was a lovely comfort food supper. We asked our neighbors in to spend the evening and shared this casserole for dinner. What a hit! Thank you!
Jere Cassidy says
Great recipe. I haven't made Chicken Cordon Bleu for ages so I was glad to find this recipe to make it as a casserole. Thanks for the tip to keep the chicken moist when adding, as I tend to always overcook the chicken.
Amber says
I used chickenin the bone. Threw it in the crockpot all day and took it off the bone. Super moist! Or just buy a rotisserie chicken.
Natalie says
This was delicious. Perfect family meal, thanks!
Gloria says
We all need lots of delicious chicken recipes.