I grew up eating my mom’s Classic Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe every year at holidays and other special occasions, but it was too much work for a regular weeknight. Enter this Chicken Cordon Bleu in casserole form! It’s so delicious, it was just meant to be. I also love an easy chicken casserole on busy weeknights when the kids have piano or swim and I know they will be hungry. Casseroles are pretty much always a win in our house, so I do make them a lot. They’re my secret weapon, of sorts. They’re pretty hands-off for the most part, and you can add almost any vegetable in them (if you cut them small enough!) so you know your family is getting the nutrients they need. While regular Chicken Cordon Bleu is made with chicken breast that is pounded flat and rolled into a roulade, we’ll be using cooked shredded chicken in this casserole version, which means it’s also a great leftovers recipe for using up Thanksgiving turkey, a rotisserie chicken, or any other cooked or shredded chicken that you want to repurpose into a new dish to keep things interesting! For more delicious recipes for an easy weeknight dinner, check out my White Chicken Enchiladas, this Classic Poppyseed Chicken Casserole, or my Chicken Spaghetti Casserole.
Why We Love This Recipe
Change up the meat type, seasoning mix, garnish, and cheeses to make this casserole truly your own. We’ll be using simple ingredients here, and you can even use leftover chicken or turkey to make it! Quick and easy, this delicious casserole is ready in just 40 minutes.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Chicken – You’ll need to cook and shred the chicken beforehand, but you can use leftovers from a previous meal or just grab a Costco rotisserie chicken, which is what I do. Ham – Black forest ham has an amazing flavor and you can just get it sliced from the deli counter. Or it’s a great way to use leftover ham from Easter dinner! Butter – Use salted butter for making the sauce and for binding the breadcrumb topping together. Flour – All-purpose flour will work well for making a roux for the cheese sauce. Seasoning – Use a flavorful combination of kosher salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and freshly ground black pepper, as well as a Shake’N’Bake chicken seasoning mix for this dish. Milk – Whole milk is best for the creamiest flavor in the sauce, but any milk will work (even non-dairy). Broth – Use low-sodium chicken broth for a great depth of flavor in the sauce. Mustard – Creamy dijon mustard will add a peppery tang to the sauce. Cheese – Use swiss cheese for the cream sauce and Parmesan cheese for the topping. Sour cream – Add sour cream into the sauce to make it extra creamy. Breadcrumbs – You’ll need Panko breadcrumbs or crumbled ritz crackers for a crunchy topping.
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Tips for Success
Serve this casserole with veggies on the side, or put them in the filling in addition to the meat before topping and baking the casserole, if you prefer. Some great options are green beans, sweetcorn, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or peas! For a low carb casserole, use buckwheat flour for the sauce roux, and skip the bread crumbs in the topping. Add some cheddar cheese on top or some chopped crispy bacon for added flavor and texture.
Substitutions and Variations
You can use a different kind of shredded meat if you want to. Shredded pork would be delicious here instead of the chicken, especially with the ham in there as well! This recipe is a great way to use leftover ham or leftover turkey from the holidays. Add some fresh parsley or chopped crispy bacon to the top of the casserole before serving for extra flavor. You can use condensed cream of chicken soup as the base of your sauce, instead of using the roux method, if you prefer. But really the sauce comes together so quickly and tastes so much better than the canned cream of something soup! Change up the flavor by changing the cheese choices. Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack Cheese, or Mozzarella cheese would taste delicious too!
More Casserole Recipes
Tater Tot Casserole Pizza Casserole Baked Ziti Tuna Noodle Casserole Cheesy Baked Spaghetti Casserole
Combine: 3 cups Panko breadcrumbs, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon each minced onion, garlic powder, black pepper, and celery salt, ½ teaspoon each dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Combine all ingredients in a Ziploc bag or large bowl then shake or stir well to combine.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
Chicken Spaghetti Bake
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
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