Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
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.
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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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Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole – Low Carb
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 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine (optional)
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp 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 1/4 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.
I cheat and use the pulled breast meat from Costco as the chicken…. super easy, and SO MANY LEFTOVERS for just the 2 of us!
Sooooo good! Will be making this lots more! The sauce is so yummy!
I made this recipe last night, but I had the same problem as another one of the reviewers – I had a lot of liquid in the bottom of the casserole dish even though I mixed the sauce really well. However, despite this problem, it still tasted very good. I noticed that after it sat for a while, the liquid in the bottom got absorbed, so when I put the one (and only) square of the cordon bleu in a glass container, the runny yellow liquid was completely gone. I will make it again, for sure. Thank you.
Super easy to make and delicious!!
I added Chicken Bone Broth to the sauce to thin it out a little and add a little more nutrients!
Thank you for Sharing this recipe
Laura
This made me never want to go keto it was too greasy had too much butter and I dont really see how it’s healthy at all
If it was greasy you didn’t mix the sauce enough. There is plenty of research on the keto diet and health benefits. I’m sorry you didn’t care for it.
Looks amazing!! Just printed out and will let you know how I like!!
Yummm! Had this for dinner last night with cauliflower rice, added broccoli to the casserole. It was delicious! Everyone loved it. Definitely going to serve this again.
This is me and my husband’s absolute favorite dinner. It tastes like it should be so wickedly indulgently bad for you, but is healthy and filling. Thank you!!!
Made this for dinner tonight as a trial run for making and taking to my niece tomorrow. I used a very juicy rotisserie chicken and a little more Dijon than called for, and NO salt since chicken is pretty salty on its own. My husband thought it was very good, although I thought it a little drier than I like. I will definitely make tomorrow and double the sauce, maybe even double & a half the sauce. With that said, it is definitely a keeper! Thanks for the recipe.
Can you make this ahead and either refrigerate or freeze?
Yes. Just make sure your shredded or cubed chicken is very moist. Don’t use dry chicken.
Absolutely delicious!! I used meat from a homemade rotisserie chicken and then thick sliced ham (instead of the lunch meat). We will be adding this to our meal rotation for sure!
This was absolutely DELICOUS! I used left over ham rather than sandwich meat and didnt have swiss cheese so I used a mixture of gouda, American and white cheddar. The sauce was delicious and the kids loved it! I will definitely be making this again.
Oh my, this was amazing thank you thank you!
So I am on vacation, my friend asked me to throw something together for a dinner party and she is keto dieting. I made this recipe and it went over very well everyone really enjoyed it. One of the guests even asked for the recipe… It is also very inexpensive it cost about $25 to feed 7 people, I steamed broccoli as a side dish. Thanks!
Wow! I only wish I made two pans of this! Thank you so much for this delicious and filling recipe. My family loved it! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Chicken Cordon Bleu is my husband’s absolute favorite dish. So much so that we had it at our wedding reception. 🙂 I made this recipe for dinner last night, and it is definitely a keeper! It is so delicious that I even ate a serving of the leftovers for breakfast this morning! I added it to our meal rotation board before I even finished my dinner last night!
I cooked my chicken breasts in the Instant Pot while I prepped the rest of the ingredients and the sauce. The only thing I would do differently, and this was my own fault, is after I shred the chicken I will add the broth back to the chicken (and then drain it again) to add moisture.
Thank you, Taryn, for a wonderful recipe that I will be making over and over again!
Is it normal for there to be a 1/2 inch layer of clear yellow liquid at the bottom of the dish? It is soo much. Kinda bummed it separated so much, is that normal?
No, that’s not normal. The butter should not separate and pool. Did you mix the sauce thoroughly? Did you use fresh chicken or frozen chicken?
I’ve made this several times and we all love it, but I’ve had the same problem. Sometimes it’s okay when I make it, but it separates badly when warming leftovers. Other times, it separates when I first make it. I use fresh chicken and try to make sure all the ingredients are dry when they are mixed together. I mix the sauce in a blender or in a bowl with a mixer. It doesn’t seem to matter.
Try adding a pinch of xanthan gum. We have never had ours separate but we don’t normally have leftovers with this one. Xanthan gum will definitely help.
Second time making this. So good with asparagus as the side
I added crushed plain pork rinds to the top to give it that crunchy breading texture that regular chicken cordon bleu has. This was so tasty and different from all the other keto recipes in my repertoire.
Fantastic idea!! We live in a cabin on a mountain so I don’t have the rinds yet…but I will buy some for next time!
What can I use in place of cream cheese, it doesn’t a agree with me.
Another soft, mild-flavored cheese like ricotta or mascarpone.