Chicken Cordon Bleu (Printable Version)

Tender chicken, ham, and melted cheese in a creamy bake, finished with golden brown breadcrumb topping.

# What You'll Need:

01 - 8 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced

02 - 5 cups cooked, shredded chicken

03 - 9 ounces deli-style black forest ham, cut into thin strips

04 - 3 cups whole milk

05 - 6 Tablespoons plain flour

06 - 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

07 - 6 Tablespoons butter, unsalted

08 - Juice of 1 lemon (optional)

09 - ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you like)

10 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder

11 - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

12 - ½ teaspoon table salt

13 - Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

14 - 4 Tablespoons softened butter

15 - 1 ½ cups Panko breadcrumbs

01 - Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan, then layer chicken, ham strips, and cheese slices in it.

02 - Whip up a roux by cooking butter and flour, slowly stirring in milk, and add spices. Let thicken in about 4 minutes.

03 - Pour the thickened sauce over the pan's layers. Top with a blend of Panko and softened butter.

04 - Bake for 30-40 minutes uncovered, till it’s bubbly and golden. Let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

01 - Allow the dish to stand before digging in so the sauce settles.

02 - Make sure the Panko layer gets nicely crispy for best results.

03 - Feel free to tweak the spices to suit your taste.