Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Casserole

This Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole combines tender chicken, sweet ham, Swiss cheese, rigatoni pasta and a perfect blend of spices in a cream sauce.

This Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu  Casserole is sure to become one of your family favorites.  It combines tender chicken, sweet ham, Swiss cheese, rigatoni pasta and a perfect blend of spices all in a cream sauce topped with fresh ground croutons.  How could anyone resist all this flavorful goodness packed into one beautiful casserole? This casserole takes no time to prep!  If you can handle a couple of things at once you can prep this casserole for the oven in about 20 minutes.

How to make Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Cook pasta according to package instructions and drain. In large skillet cook chicken in butter until no longer pink inside.  Remove chicken to plate and sprinkle flour into skillet.  Cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in milk and spices and cook until slightly thickened.   Combine pasta, creamy milk mixture, chicken, ham and Swiss in the casserole dish.

In the final steps pulse croutons and sprinkle over casserole.  Bake, turning on the broiler the last minute of cooking to lightly brown the crouton crumbs.

How to prepare Chicken Cordon Bleu for a crowd.

This Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole is perfect for a party and can be tripled or quadrupled quite easily. It can handle sitting in a chafing dish, or over a chafer stand well.  Purchase some low sodium chicken broth to keep casserole dishes moist in their chafing dishes during parties.  Just stir in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chicken broth if the casserole starts to get dry over the sternos!  I also cook the pasta al dente because the pasta will continue to absorb the moisture from the casserole and it will  be cooked a little more if served in a chafing dish over sternos.

What to serve with Chicken Cordon Bleu.

This casserole is a meal in itself however if you like variety here are some awesome ideas.

1. A simple tossed salad.
2. A cold glass of pinot gregio.
3. Tomatoes and cucumbers tossed in oil and vinegar.
4. Fresh grilled or baked garlic asparagus.
5. Steamed broccoli with lemon.
6. Baked cauliflower with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

What is bechamel sauce and what is it used for.

Bechamel sauce is white sauce made with butter, flour and milk. Simply melt your butter, add an egual amount of flour and whisk cooking for about one minute. Slowly whisk in one cup of milk per tablespoon of flour.  Keep whisking until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about ten minutes to thicken and soften the flour.  It is the key to making your dishes creamy like scalloped potatoes, mac n cheese and casseroles like this.

I sure you hope and your family enjoy this pasta as much as we do.  Bon appetit my food loving friends!

Other chicken recipes you will love!

• Sesame Chicken Recipe
• Crockpot Chicken and Noodles
• Tuscan Chicken Pasta
• Chicken Gnocchi Soup
• Chicken Santa Fe

This post was originally published September 2, 2016 and was republished October 14, 2018 with new content.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

★★★★★

4.8 from 11 reviews

An easy to make casserole combining chicken, rigatoni noodles and ham all smothered in a creamy Swiss cheese sauce just like the traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu.

• Author: Beth Pierce
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 35
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Main meal
• Method: Stove top and bake
• Cuisine: American

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked rigatoni noodles
• 2 large boneless skinned chicken breasts cut in small cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/3 lb sliced sweet deli ham cut into bite size pieces
• 1/3 lb sliced deli Swiss cheese cut into bite size pieces.
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 cups well seasoned bread croutons

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook rigatoni according to box instructions and drain well. .
3. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned and no longer pink inside; approximately 6-8 minutes depending on the size of the cubed chicken. In same skillet melt butter over low heat, whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Mixture should be smooth and bubbling. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Add oregano, basil and garlic powder. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for ten minutes; whisking a few times.
4. Lightly spray small rectangular casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine pasta, creamy milk mixture, chicken, ham and Swiss in the casserole dish. Salt & pepper to taste.
5. Pulse croutons in food processor or smash in Ziploc bag. Sprinkle over the top, Bake casserole for 25-30 minutes. Turn broiler on the last minute of cooking to lightly brown the top. Stay close by broilers are unpredictable.

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