Chicken Cordon Bleu Tettrazini
Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of those food situations where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The combination of crunchy breaded chicken, savory ham, and nutty, melted Swiss cheese is a trio so fine that it seems like those three ingredients were just meant to be together. It seems like there’s not a thing you could do to improve upon that combination… But what if you added the comfort of pasta? And baked it into a cozy, creamy casserole? Well, then you’d have our Chicken Cordon Bleu Tetrazzini, which has all the flavor of that classic trio but in comforting casserole form.
The breadcrumb topping here is inspired by the irresistible breadcrumb coating that you know from traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu. Our topping is just as irresistible, if not more so. It relies on Panko breadcrumbs, which are tossed with melted butter and Parmesan before being sprinkled atop the casserole. This ensures that every little crumb is coated in butter so that every little crumb gets toasty and golden brown in the oven.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 1/2 cups ham, chopped
1 pound spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
3/4 cup Swiss cheese, grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt 1/4 cup of the butter, then add onions. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute more.
Sprinkle flour over onions, cook one more minute, and then whisk in chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat, and continue cooking until mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in chicken, ham, cooked noodles, and Swiss cheese. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan.
Melt remaining butter in a microwave-safe bowl and then stir in breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over casserole.
Bake until hot and bubbling and breadcrumbs have browned, 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!