Impress your family and friends with this delicious twist on a classic French dish. Follow these easy steps to make a flavorful Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with smoked ham in a creamy cheese sauce. Perfect for a cozy dinner at home
This easy casserole is sure to become one of your family favorites. It combines tender chicken, sweet ham, Swiss cheese, and a perfect blend of spices, all in a luscious cream sauce topped with a buttery cracker topping.
How could anyone resist all this flavorful goodness packed into one beautiful casserole? Preparing this casserole takes no time! If you can handle a couple of things simultaneously, you can prepare it for the oven in about 20 minutes.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Cooked chicken: I use rotisserie chicken, but any cooked chicken will work
- Ham: smoked ham is best
- Butter: salted or unsalted
- Mustard: I prefer to use Dijon for the tanginess, but any mustard will work
- Cheese: Swiss or Gruyere, and freshly grated Parmesan
- Nutmeg: just a bit for flavor dimension, but if nutmeg is not your thing, omit it
- Crackers: Ritz or any buttery cracker will work
How to make Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
First, combine the diced chicken and diced ham in a large casserole dish. Now, let’s make the topping. Combine the melted butter, crushed Ritz crackers, and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl. Set the bowl aside for a bit.
Now, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes while whisking. Slowly whisk in the milk and continue cooking until thickened. Whisk in the Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the Swiss cheese. Continue to whisk until melted. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Whisk in the nutmeg.
Pour the cheese sauce over the chicken and ham. Sprinkle evenly with the topping. Cover and bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and serve over rice or pasta, if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe, but any shredded or cubed cooked chicken will also work.
- Ham steak works great for this recipe. They taste great and are relatively inexpensive.
- The homemade cheese sauce takes a little longer than dumping a can of cream of something soup, but it tastes so much better.
- I like to serve this over white rice, fettuccine, or spaghetti. For a low-carb option, try mashed cauliflower.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve it with a simple garden salad and no-knead bread or breadsticks. My favorite vegetable dishes are roasted carrots, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and roasted asparagus.
Storage and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power or in the oven in a covered casserole dish at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Freeze in a sturdy freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To freeze the whole casserole, cover it with two layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and bake as directed, adding 5 minutes of baking time.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups diced or shredded rotisserie chicken
- 3 cups diced ham
Cheese Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 -2½ cups milk
- 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese or Gruyere cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 pinches nutmeg optional but recommended
- 2 cups cooked white rice for serving
Cracker Topping
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- 1¼ sleeves Ritz crackers crushed
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch casserole dish (or close equivalent size) with nonstick baking spray.
- Combine the diced chicken and diced ham in a large casserole dish.
- Combine the melted butter, crushed Ritz crackers, and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl. Set the bowl aside for a bit.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes while whisking. Slowly whisk in the milk and continue cooking until thickened. Whisk in the Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the Swiss cheese. Continue to whisk until melted. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Whisk in the nutmeg.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the chicken and ham. Sprinkle evenly with the topping. Bake for 15 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and serve over rice or pasta if desired.
Notes
- Rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe, but any shredded or cubed cooked chicken will also work.
- Ham steak works great for this recipe. They taste great and are relatively inexpensive.
- The homemade cheese sauce takes a little longer than dumping a can of cream of something soup, but it tastes so much better.
- I like to serve this over white rice, fettuccine, or spaghetti. For a low-carb option, try mashed cauliflower.
Nutrition
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Lissa M
This casserole is a new family favorite. It was so flavorful and creamy. I took your advice and served it over rice with a side of roasted broccoli. Absolutely delish!