Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

2 lbs. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
½ lb Ham chopped into thin chunks Very Thinly Sliced Black Forest Ham, Rough Chopped

6-8 slices Sliced Swiss Cheese

4 Tablespoons Butter

4 Tablespoons Flour

3 cups Heavy Cream

4 oz Seasoned Parmesan Cheese (jar type)

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 1/2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp.  Paprika

Panko Bread Crumbs

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  Put shredded chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with chopped ham. Lay the Swiss cheese on top of the ham.

Sauce:

Melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to form a lump-free roux. When roux begins to heat and slight bubble, slowly pour in heavy cream and whisk until smooth.

Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir in garlic. Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper, and paprika. Stirring constantly bring sauce just back to a low boil and turn off heat. Pour sauce evenly over the casserole.

Top with enough Panko to evenly cover the dish.  Bake casserole uncovered for 25 - 30 minutes until hot and topping has turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot over egg noodles.

Martha:  I watched a Chef on a local TV show make Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole.  I waited for her to give the recipe measurements but instead she said to go to her site.  Well I did but there had been nothing published on her site since 2012 so I went searching with only a partial list of her ingredients to go by.  I found several recipes but none that were like hers so I had to do a lot of guessing and this is what I came up with.  I doubt that I got 'her' recipe correct but I did come up with a pretty good dish.  I do believe she used shredded Parmesan cheese but I also know how easily it will lump when melting so I decided to use the jar type which worked great.  I also used the seasoned type to give it added flavor.  She served her dish over noodles but my sauce was thick enough that I decided to serve mine without noodles.  I will be making this dish again!

Food Tester Carol:  Moist strips of chicken breast baked in a cream and cheese sauce with diced ham and a hearty covering of Parmesan are a delight.  This is a delicious main dish and served as the evening meal, lifts everyone’s spirits!  I like this better than the traditional chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese, which can be a bit heavy.  The casserole variation with pieces of chicken breast covered in the sauce is, to me, a more pleasing meal.