Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

*Parsley*'s Note:

No canned soup in this one. I serve it over rice or noodles. Great way to use up leftover chicken and/or ham.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 4 cups cooked cubed chicken
• 3 cups cooked cubed ham
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion , chopped
• 1 celery rib , finely chopped
• 4 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 ½-1 ¾ cups milk (depending on desired thickness)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• ¼-½ teaspoon salt , to taste
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon parsley
• 2 cups shredded swiss cheese
• ½ cup soft breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray/grease a 3-qt casserole dish.
2. Place cubed chicken and cubed ham in a large bowl; set aside.
3. In a large saucepan on medium heat, melt butter. Add in onion, celery and mushrooms and sautee 5-6 minutes or until soft.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and flour until smooth; pour into saucepan. Add in salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley; stir well and heat through.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in shredded cheese. Stir often until cheese is melted.
6. Pour sauce mixture over chicken/ham mixture and toss to coat. Pour into prepared casserole dish; press down so all meat is covered with sauce. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over top.
7. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and just beginning to brown.
8. Serve over hot cooked noodles or rice, if desired.

Reviews

[newdel]

This was AMAZING!! My family loved it. We usually make Chicken Cordon Bleu, but it's a lot of work, and can sometimes dry out. This was so moist and delicious. I don't think that we'll make the original again. The only thing that I did differently was to make a roux with the butter, flour and milk. Thanks for the great recipe!

[Natalia 3]

I loved the flavor of this and so did everyone I served it to. (It was a good meal to bring to our friends who just had a baby.) Mine did not turn out creamy, but more brothy and you couldn't really detect the cheese. I'm not sure if it's because I used too much milk or the whole spelt flour. I'm sure it could be tweaked, and besides it was fine this way. Instead of rice/pasta I suggest trying it over Focaccia bread, yum!

[CareyLee]

I was kind of disappointed with this.. Although it tasted pretty good the sauce came out grainy.. I looked up what may have caused this and a lot of sites said to turn off the heat when mixing in the cheese. Not sure if I'll try this again or not