Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Alicia warned me not to call this recipe a 'casserole', but I really couldn't think of anything else it could be. If it were on a fancy cooking show, it would be "deconstructed" chicken cordon bleu. But, try as I might, I guess I'm not that fancy. If anything, it's just me being lazy! I love CCB (fond memories of the MTC), but I don't like taking all that time to make it. And, so... this recipe!

So, before I get to the recipe, let me tell you that the measurements are probably pretty close, but that I didn't initially measure. So, this is a best guess.

Also, I disobeyed one of my cardinal rules... I used a can of cream of chicken soup. I really try to avoid doing that, but this recipe is really so much easier with it. So, to be fair, I will include a recipe for Mornay Sauce (often used on CCB) and a recipe for a Creamy Mustard Sauce. I kind of mixed both sauces together for my sauce in this recipe, plus that darn cream of chicken soup.

And, truth be told, I actually put this into a glass pan that was 8" x 11 ½". But, I think all of the ingredients would fit fine in a 9" x 13". I made it twice last week, and the second time, I used less mustard (ran out of it-- Jacob was glad), and I added a bit of milk (eh... ½ cup?) because I wanted it to be more saucy. Oh, and I forgot the dill. Oh well. And, both times I made it I used Swiss slices and cheddar slices because I had a Costco size thing of cheddar slices and wanted to use 'em. But, really, any cheese is fine.

And, I prefer to chunk up or slice up the chicken into strips because it's easier to dish it out in the end. 

And... lastly... any ham is fine. I've made this with deli slices, cut into strips, and also ham cubes.

Okay, so here goes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

1 10 oz can Cream of Chicken soup

¼ c Dijon mustard

½ c Sour cream

1 tsp dill

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

8+ slices Swiss cheese (cut into strips or shredded)

1 c sliced or cubed ham

4 uncooked chicken breasts cut into strips or chunks

½ cup Panko or Bread Crumbs

In medium bowl, mix together soup, mustard, sour cream, dill, onion powder, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. In greased 9”x13” pan, layer ingredients in this order from bottom to top:

½ of the soup mixture

chicken strips

ham

the other ½ of the soup mixture

cheese strips

Panko

Bake covered for about 40 minutes until chicken is no longer pink, and then uncovered for 10 minutes until the topping is toasted and cheese is bubbly. 

 

Uncooked Top View

Uncooked Layer View

Okay, so here is a recipe for Mornay Sauce, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/mornay-sauce-recipe.html

Mornay Sauce

Yields 2 cups

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, 1/2 cup at a time. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the and whisk in the cheese. Serve hot.

 

 

And, here is a basic mustard sauce recipe, courtesy of some random blogger. If you choose to use this recipe, you might want to quadruple it to have enough sauce.

http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/chicken-cordon-bleu-with-creamy-mustard-sauce/

 

Creamy Mustard Sauce

2 rounded tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

Whisk the mustard and chicken broth together in small skillet over medium - high heat. Bring it to a simmer and cook 1 minute stirring often. Slowly whisk in heavy cream and bring back to a simmer. Simmer until thickened, stirring often about 3 minutes.

Whisk the mustard and chicken broth together in small skillet over medium - high heat. Bring it to a simmer and cook 1 minute stirring often. Slowly whisk in heavy cream and bring back to a simmer. Simmer until thickened, stirring often about 3 minutes.
Read more at http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/chicken-cordon-bleu-with-creamy-mustard-sauce/#xX4YzgMUCMQGMX7T.99

Whisk the mustard and chicken broth together in small skillet over medium - high heat. Bring it to a simmer and cook 1 minute stirring often. Slowly whisk in heavy cream and bring back to a simmer. Simmer until thickened, stirring often about 3 minutes.
Read more at http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/chicken-cordon-bleu-with-creamy-mustard-sauce/#xX4YzgMUCMQGMX7T.99