Enjoy the classic Chicken Cordon Bleu in an easy casserole form with this easy weeknight dinner. With tender potatoes, juicy chicken, savory ham, a luscious white sauce, and a crunchy lid of buttery panko breadcrumbs, this easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe is going to jump to the top of your list of favorite recipes.
Want to save this post?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I’ll send you budget recipes and money-saving tips every week!
Casserole recipes are one of my go-to’s at dinner time. There’s something so reassuring and familiar about a layered dish full of meat, cheese, and a rich, creamy sauce.
This classic dish of potatoes, ham, chicken, bechamel, and bread crumbs is pure comfort food, something the whole family will enjoy.
Why Make This
It’s delicious. This creamy casserole is so dang good. It’s seriously one of the best things I’ve eaten in months. You’re going to love the layers of chicken, cubed ham, white sauce, melty swiss cheese, and panko crumbs.
It’s an easy dinner. This cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole comes together without a lot of fuss. Most of the work takes place in the oven, making for a delicious recipe for busy weeknights.
It’s a great dish for leftovers. While you can prep the casserole quickly from fresh, it’s a great recipe for using up leftover ham or leftover chicken from other meals. You can even repurpose potatoes from another meal in the bottom layer.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe:
nonstick cooking spray – You’ll use spray to grease the pan as well as oil the potatoes before roasting. If you don’t have spray, just toss the potatoes with a bit of olive oil.
potatoes – Small potatoes are quick and easy to prep for this dish, but you can use larger ones, as long as you cube them into bite-sized pieces.
kosher salt and black pepper – It’s important to season every layer of this Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole.
white sauce – The basics to a white sauce or bechamel are butter, flour, and milk. In a pinch, you could use a can of cream of chicken soup, but I really recommend that you make a white sauce from scratch. It really makes a difference. (Note that you’re going to use some of the butter for the breadcrumbs, so don’t use it all in the sauce.)
cooked chicken – You can use chopped or shredded chicken that you cook yourself or grab a rotisserie chicken and make quick work of this recipe.
ham – You can use any kind of ham you like, such as deli ham, black forest ham, or ham steak. Just be sure to cut into cubes.
Swiss cheese – Gruyere or Emmental cheeses are the best and will bring more flavor than an American Swiss-style cheese.
panko bread crumbs – These add such a delicious crunchy top to the casserole. You can use fresh breadcrumbs or make your own panko if you don’t have commercial panko on hand.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make this Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the potatoes to the bottom of the baking dish in a single layer. Spray the tops of them with cooking spray and season generously with salt and pepper.
Place the pan in the oven and bake until the potatoes are fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the white sauce by melting 4 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until the mixture bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes.
Whisk in the milk slowly until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened and set aside.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and cover them with a layer of chicken. Then layer on the ham. Pour the white sauce over all and top with the cheese.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoon butter, either in the microwave or on the stovetop. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle this atop the cheese.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly, the cheese is melted, and the crumb topping is golden brown. Serve hot.
To make ahead: You can prepare this casserole in advance, just don’t bake it. Instead, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
To make as a freezer meal: Potatoes don’t typically freeze and reheat well unless mashed, so you can make this a freezer friendly recipe by doing one of two things. 1. Prepare the casserole without potatoes or 2. prepare it as a kit, packaging the sauce, meat, cheese, and breadcrumbs separately to be assembled with potatoes prior to serving.
Whichever way you choose, you will want to chill the dish or kit completely before storing in the freezer.
More Great Chicken Casseroles
Tell us what you think!
We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 ½ lb baby potatoes trimmed and halved, cubed if large
- salt and pepper
- 6 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup milk
- 2 cup chicken (cooked and cubed)
- 8 oz diced ham
- 6 oz Swiss cheese (shredded) (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add the potatoes to the pan in a single layer. Spray the tops of them with cooking spray and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the potatoes are fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes.nonstick cooking spray, 1 ½ lb baby potatoes, salt and pepper
- Meanwhile, prepare the white sauce by melting 4 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook until the mixture bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes.6 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- Whisk in the milk slowly until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened and set aside.1 ½ cup milk
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and cover them with a layer of chicken. Then layer on the ham.2 cup chicken (cooked and cubed), 8 oz diced ham
- Pour the white sauce over all and top with the swiss cheese.6 oz Swiss cheese (shredded)
- In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and remaining 2 tablespoon butter and sprinkle this atop the cheese.½ cup panko bread crumbs, 6 tablespoon butter
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly, the cheese is melted, and the crumb topping is lightly browned. Serve hot.
Stewball
I’ll have to leave the ham out. Will it make a huge difference? I’ll add extra chicken of course.
Jessica Fisher
The ham, chicken, and cheese are all really good together, but it will still be good with just chicken.
Lynne
Leaving out the ham will definitely make a difference in the flavor. If you have a dietary issue with pork products, I believe there are ham-adjacent things like turkey ham that would probably work just fine and give a flavor profile quite close to the original.
Kelly Perry
This was delicious and looks impressive! Whole fam enjoyed!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad to hear it!
Lynn from NC Outer Anks
Jessica, I’ve made a variation of this casserole before and it is definitely a crowd pleaser! But my recipe didn’t have the potatoes in it. I’m going to give it a try soon as that sounds like a great addition. I think mine had a bit of Dijon mustard and lemon juice in the sauce.