easy chicken cordon bleu casserole

One of my absolute favorite things to do is invite people over to my house and feed them. My grandmother would be proud.

Even more than inviting people over just to feed them is inviting them over and TEACHING them how to make a meal. That’s what I did with this meal while I was putting together the second cookbook in my Moms On The Go cookbook series.

Since this is one of my favorite recipes in the whole book, choosing another recipe starting out just wasn’t an option, was it? Don’t be silly, of course not.

Sometimes I don’t feel like making Chicken Cordon Bleu from scratch, or even buying the frozen “Chicken Twinkies” at the grocery store. Even worse, one of our favorite local restaurants that served Chicken Cordon Bleu closed down when the owner decided to retire.

When my friends came over to be my test dummies for the first cooking demonstration, my friend’s husband was very reluctant. “I don’t like chicken cordon bleu,” he said, matter-of-fact. “But I guess I’ll try a bite.” I looked at him like he had a tarantula growing out of his neck. “He’s only tried it one time, and it was the frozen one,” my friend informed me. “Oh okay, that makes sense. Just trust me, and take one bite. Just one bite.” He grumbled and smiled playfully, but agreed.

He didn’t stick around for the demonstration, but came running when it was time to eat. We all sat down, and I watched him.

One bite.

Two bites.

Five bites.

Shoveling the casserole in his mouth like he hadn’t eaten in a year and it would be his last meal for another year.

Two minutes later, he got up. Went inside. Came back with a BIGGER serving than the first one.

I laughed. “That bad, eh?”

“Oh my gosh,” he responded, stuffing more into his mouth. “Can I take some home?”

A third serving and a to-go plate later, his mind was changed forever about Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. I’m saving the world one belly at a time, folks.

This recipe actually took some experimenting.

When I was hunting for Chicken Cordon Bleu recipes, nothing was jumping out at me. The Bearnaise sauce is a HUGE part of this dish for me, so anything other than Bearnaise sauce just wasn’t even an option. No Bearnaise? You’re fired!

This is why a packet of Bearnaise sauce mix that you find at the store was the perfect solution to making sure that flavor was in the casserole without making it all from scratch.

After three attempts at perfecting what I wanted this recipe to end up being, the end result was exactly what I was looking for. SUCCESS!

This recipe was the sole inspiration (and the easier version) of the Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole that I make for my customers, and is it by any means a surprise to know this is one of the most favorite of the prepared meals? I think not.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

3 cups cooked chicken (shredded or cubed)

1 cup diced ham

4 slices swiss cheese

1 (0.9 oz.) packet béarnaise sauce mix

1 (10 oz.) can undiluted cream of chicken soup

8 oz. sour cream

½ cup breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine soup, sour cream, and béarnaise mix in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together well, then stir in cooked chicken and ham. Spoon mixture into an 8×8 inch baking dish. Place slices of swiss cheese on top of mixture, followed by breadcrumbs. Drizzle melted butter on top of bread crumbs, then bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot. Goes really well over mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice!

*The Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole that I made as a prepared meal for my customers is served over bowtie pasta.

Freezer Meal Instructions: Double, triple, or quadruple this batch and prepare in foil containers or dishes that are freezer safe. Cover and store in freezer for up to 3 months, thaw overnight before baking or bake directly from freezer (just add 30 minutes to baking time).