Chicken Cordon Bleu Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food - chicken and ham are mixed into a swiss and gruyere based macaroni and cheese.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Mac and Cheese is definitely the best of both worlds when it comes to comfort food. You have the standard ingredients of chicken cordon bleu - chicken, ham, swiss and dijon mixed into a cheesy and gooey macaroni and cheese.
I used to make macaroni and cheese all of the time. If there was a recipe out there, I needed to try it. Which is how this recipe initially came about. That and because chicken cordon bleu is Tom's favorite dish ever.
We are not a house that eats leftovers and I cannot even keep this in the fridge overnight. It's gone immediately! I'm going to have to start making it in double batches! Scroll down or view the notes of the recipe card for make-ahead and freezing info.
What is chicken cordon bleu mac and cheese?
Let's start with the chicken cordon bleu part - it literally translates to Blue Ribbon Chicken, which is a term applied to food prepared to a very high standard by outstanding cooks. It is a Swiss dish, where chicken breasts are stuffed with sliced ham and Swiss cheese, then breaded and pan fried.
For the macaroni and cheese version, shredded chicken and ham are mixed into a Swiss and Gruyere mac and cheese and then the whole dish is topped with toasted breadcrumbs and baked to gooey perfection.
🥘 Ingredients for this recipe
- shredded chicken breasts
- diced ham
- elbow noodles
- chopped Swiss cheese
- shredded gruyere cheese
- milk
- chicken stock
- dijon mustard
- butter
- all purpose flour
- garlic
- onion powder
- thyme
- salt and pepper
- seasoned bread crumbs
- grated Parmesan cheese
How to make this casserole
- Boil your pasta. Fill a large stock pot with water. Bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside. (This dish finishes in the oven so you don't want to overcook your pasta)
- Create the cheese sauce. In the same pot you cooked your pasta, melt butter over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Whisk in the flour until no lumps remain. Then slowly whisk in the chicken stock and the milk. Add in the seasonings and stir to combine. Whisk frequently until the mixture begins to thicken. Then remove from the heat and whisk in the Swiss and gruyere cheese until melted.
- Assemble the chicken cordon bleu mac and cheese. Stir in the cooked pasta, followed by the shredded chicken and the ham. Spread into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Stir melted butter into the seasoned breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Spread evenly over the pasta.
- Bake the casserole. Bake the chicken cordon bleu mac and cheese for 25 minutes at 350 or until bubbly and golden.
Substitutions and make ahead options
- Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of cooking and shredding chicken breasts
- Replace elbow noodles with penne or your favorite pasta noodle
- Finely dice a cooked ham steak instead of using deli ham
- Make Ahead: the recipe can be prepared (leave breadcrumbs off) and refrigerated for up to 3 days before cooking. Let warm on the counter for 30-45 minutes before baking as directed above.
- Freezing: this pasta dish freezes great! Once fully cooled, transfer to a container and freeze for up to 3 months.
what to serve with this dish
It's a pretty filling meal on it's own, but some green veggies definitely wouldn't hurt!
- garden or caesar salad
- buttered peas
- Italian green beans
- roasted broccoli
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Recipe
Chicken Cordon Bleu Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni
- 2 cups chicken cooked and shredded
- 1 cup ham chopped
- 5 tablespoon butter divided
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup Swiss cheese chopped
- 1 cup gruyere cheese shredded
- ½ cup breadcrumbs seasoned
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In the same pot you cooked the pasta, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Whisk in the all purpose flour until you can no longer see clumps of flour. Slowly pour in a little chicken stock and whisk until there are no lumps of flour. Continue pouring in chicken stock while whisking. Whisk in the milk.
- Whisk frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Stir in the onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the Gruyere and Swiss until melted.
- Stir in the pasta, followed by the chicken and the ham. Mix until combined.
- Transfer mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- In the same pot you cooked everything in, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add in the seasoned breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture gets just a little bit of color and the butter is absorbed into it.
- Spread the bread crumbs over the chicken cordon bleu macaroni and cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Substitutions: use a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of cooking and shredding your own. Replace deli ham with a chopped (cooked) ham steak. Replace elbow noodles with penne or your favorite pasta noodle.
- Make Ahead: the dish can be prepared (leave off the bread crumbs until ready to bake) and refrigerated for 3 days before cooking. Let warm up on the counter for 30-45 minutes before baking as directed above.
- Freezing: let dish cool completely then transfer to a container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Serve with: green salad, buttered peas, roasted broccoli, Italian green beans, etc.
Nutrition
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