Chicken Cordon Bleu

Last week I read a recipe for a Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole. I forgot to bookmark the recipe, so I made up my own version for a 6 serving dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds) 
• 1/2 teaspoon each: 
• Kosher salt
• ground black pepper
• paprika
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• 6 slices deli ham cut into thin slivers (I used Black Forest ham from Costco)
• 5 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into thin slivers
• 1 cup chicken stock (or broth)
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup Panko

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9 x 13" casserole pan with cooking spray.
3. Place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap, and then pound it very thin so that the two pieces will fill the casserole pan
   (I using my rubber kitchen mallet)
4. Lay the chicken out in the casserole pan as evenly as possible
5. Mix the spices together in a small cup, then sprinkle over the chicken
6. Lay ham slivers evenly over chicken
7. Lay cheese slivers evenly over ham
8. Stir cream cheese into stock until smoothly blended, then pour evenly over pan
9. Mix Parmesan cheese and panko together, then sprinkle evenly over pan
10. Sprinkle with a little additional paprika
11. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes
    (I checked with a thermometer to ensure that chicken is heated to at least 165 degrees)
12. Serve warm!

Carole's Notes:

We liked this! It was tasty with a tomato feta salad and roasted Brussels sprouts, and on a second day over pasta.