This Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole will knock your socks off. It is so much easier than a traditional rolled and breaded cordon bleu and has even more flavor. With chicken, ham, and swiss in a creamy dijon sauce, you won't miss the breading one bit. Since you aren't coating or stuffing the chicken it is quick and easy. This is pure comfort food and an easy main course dinner. This easy recipe is low carb, keto, gluten free, grain free, sugar free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
I love chicken cordon bleu. But it's always breaded.
This has been on my to-do list since my husband and I went to a fundraiser back in May. They had the best chicken cordon bleu ever. I knew I could make the same flavors into a killer casserole.
My casserole version was a hit with my family. I wasn't sure if the kids would like the swiss cheese (honestly, I'm not a huge swiss cheese fan) but it worked so well with this flavor combination there were no complaints.
What is Chicken Cordon Bleu
Here is a little history on this iconic dish (thank you, Wikipedia):
A cordon bleu or schnitzel cordon bleu is a dish of meat wrapped around cheese (or with cheese filling), then breaded and pan-fried or deep-fried. (Veal) cordon bleu is made of veal pounded thin and wrapped around a slice of ham and a slice of cheese, breaded, and then pan fried or baked.[1] For chicken cordon bleu chicken breast is used instead of veal.[2]Ham cordon bleu is ham stuffed with mushrooms and cheese.[3]
The origins of cordon bleu as a schnitzel filled with cheese are in Switzerland, probably about the 1940s, first mentioned in a cookbook from 1949. The earliest reference to "chicken cordon bleu" in The New York Times is dated to 1967, while similar veal recipes are found from at least 1955.[6]
What to serve with Chicken Casserole
I suggest serving this with a green salad or green vegetables such as garlic broccoli or roasted asparagus. You can also serve with keto mashed cauliflower.
What kind of sauce goes with Chicken Cordon Bleu
We love this creamy lemon sauce on our Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. It is rich with the butter and cream cheese and the lemon juice, mustard, and white wine really help the flavors to pop.
Sometimes I just make the sauce and drizzle on chicken tenders or vegetables.
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
First Step: Layer chicken and ham in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Second Step: Make the sauce and spread it on top.
Third Step: Layer on the cheese.
Fourth Step: Bake until hot, bubbly, and golden.
What to serve with Keto Chicken Cordon Bleu
This is a very rich casserole. Butter. Cream Cheese. Swiss Cheese. You get the drift. So I serve this with lighter side dishes like a green salad, oven-roasted green beans, steamed cauliflower, or roasted asparagus.
Tips & Tweaks
I've had readers sub in other mild cheeses like provolone, mozzarella, or Havarti so feel free to tailor this to your family's tastes.
One of the most important things for this recipe to make sure the chicken is nice and juicy. If the chicken is moist this will be moist and flavorful. If you are started with dry chicken I recommend making 1.5 times the sauce to compensate. Or even doubling it.
You can even save a step by baking chicken tenderloins, draining the cooking liquid, and then proceeding with the recipe. No shredding required!
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups shredded cooked chicken (from about 2 lb chicken)
- 6 oz ham cut into bite size pieces
- 4 oz butter melted
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white wine (optional)
- 1 oz lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 oz swiss cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Put the chicken in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Layer the pieces of ham on top.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer combine the melted butter, softened cream cheese, white wine (if using), mustard, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until a thick sauce forms. Spread this sauce over the chicken and ham in the baking dish.
- Lay the slices of swiss cheese on top of the sauce. Bake for 30-40 minutes until hot.
- I broiled it for 2 minutes at the end so the cheese would get more golden and bubbly. If you decided to do that do not leave it unattended. It's very easy to burn the cheese topping.
Video
Notes
- If you have a bottle of dry white wine open it adds a nice flavor. But I wouldn't open a new bottle just for this recipe. Unless you are planning on having a glass while you cook.
- If your shredded chicken is on the dry side you may want to double the amount of sauce or add in ¼ cup of chicken broth and mix the sauce into the shredded chicken before adding the toppings.
- You can use chicken tenderloins instead of shredded chicken. Just cook, drain the cooking liquid, and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Nutrition
Originally Published August 31, 2016. Revised and Republished with a new video on May 6, 2019.
Mackenzie Cavanaugh says
Can you freeze this?
Taryn says
Yes, I’ve had readers freeze this successfully. I haven’t frozen it myself but I’d suggest freezing after you layer the ingredients (with cooked chicken) but before baking. Make sure your chicken isn’t dry.
Megan says
This recipe has become a family favorite! Every time I’ve made it for others, they always ask me for the recipe and are surprised by how simple it is. I love that the ingredients are pantry and/or freezer staples in my house so I can usually make this dish without needing a special grocery list and trip to the store, although I will say I often use mozzarella cheese if I don’t have Swiss. I’ve also skipped the butter and instead just use the full 8oz of reduced-fat or regular cream cheese for simplicity. Another reason I love this recipe is for the leftovers that are just as delicious.
Karen Busch says
Made this for a church potluck and passed the recipe on to 4 ladies who especially enjoyed it...it was a hit. I doubled the recipe but used 3 TBS Dijon Mustard, 3 oz. of fresh lemon juice, 2 TBS cooking wine, and 2 blocks of cream cheese. I cheated and used a package of already diced ham. For the chicken, I used 4 lbs and seasoned with onion powder and pepper and cooked in my instant pot. The sauce was freaking me out a bit, not gonna lie, it didn't look like a SAUCE at all. LOL. In fact it more closely resembled mousse or perhaps cool whip. But wow was it good! I can't believe how EASY this was! a real keeper for sure and I can't wait for leftovers tomorrow.
K M says
A good keto version! I loved the mustard in it- probably about doubled that amount and still loved it! But we’re a mustard family so..
Only reason I didn’t do 5 star is I thought it could use a bit more flavor… maybe I’ll try it again with sautéed onions- mmm! But since we ate it with sauerkraut and ketchup and mustard, it was really fantastic. Thanks for the recipe!
Margaret says
Halved the recipe as there is just the two of us… added some brocolli as we are working on increasing our fruit & veggie intake. It was delicious… it will go into our do-over recipe file
Lisa says
This was easy and delicious!! I shredded a pound of raw Brussel sprouts and put them on the bottom of 9x13 pan and then layered everything on top. Sprouts cooked perfectly. I would choose shredded Swiss since the slices made a sheet of Swiss that I needed to chop into the dish when done.
Barb B says
I. love this recipe! Can see why it is a favorite. My daughter was over the other day & I wanted her to taste the leftovers...when she left, I noticed the leftovers were gone as well! She later announced Chicken Cordon Bleu "was freakin' delicious"!
Julia says
To keep with keto meal plan, I Made this with leftover rotisserie chicken and sliced deli ham. I did use Rao’s Alfredo sauce and a mixture of cheeses. I did use the mustard and a little white wine. Topped with ground pork rinds for a crunch. Would make again for sure!
Keri Cassel says
Excellent taste & flavor. Very satisfying meal!
Pam says
Hi,
I tried this last night, I used balsamic vinegar and white wine vinegar as I didn’t have any wine open, also English mustard and Red Leicester cheese for the top, so a few changes but I must say it was a keeper absolutely delicious, thank you for sharing
Jennifer says
Such an easy and quick meal. I love to prepare this during the busy weeknights. I admit, sometimes I am making it just so I can have the leftovers which taste even better if you ask me!
Jennifer L Kenner says
I have made this Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole several times. It's delicious and a big hit with my family every time!
Hannah says
We doubled the recipe to serve a crowd and baked in a 13" x 16" roasting pan. It turned out delicious! We will certainly be making this again. Thank you!
Peter says
We've made this several times, though without the mustard/wine. I wish we could find a turkey ham as there are some pork sensitivities but the dish is _really_ tasty. We've done it a couple of times w/ leftover spiral ham from a larger meal and that seemed to kick it up a notch.
I appreciate that it's pretty easy to throw together and the chicken can be prepped ahead of time.