Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

It's Cheese time! Yep...I just made a Super Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole.

Just think about it, layers upon layers of cheese sauce, surrounded by more cheese, with hot chicken chunks, black forest ham and loads of Genoa salami...yes, it's that good and rich!
 
It's a casserole people, and any good casserole must be hearty, rich, and extra cheese doesn't hurt!

This dish is simple and goes together in minutes.

No, flattening chicken, trying to stuff it with ham and cheese only to have it pop open while cooking, and all the cheese starts oozing out everywhere.

Yes, I must admit, that has been my experience.

Instead, we take those same ingredients, plus a few extra ones and turn everything into a simple casserole.

It's time to eat people...grab your forks and dig in!  Look at the cheese...this is pure comfort food at its best!

Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1/2 lb black forest ham, deli thin
1/2 lb Genoa salami, deli thin
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
1 cup jack cheese, grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
1/2 cup sliced olives
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 sun dried tomatoes, in olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
2 tablespoons creole seasonings
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano, dried, crushed
grape tomatoes to garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Mix seasoning blend and set aside.

Rinse chicken and pat dry, cut into 1 inch chunks and place in a bowl. Season chicken with half the seasoning blend and mix well.

In a large pan add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, add onion and sun dried tomatoes, cook for about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add chicken and cook for about 6 minutes per side. Toss in olives and remove chicken from heat and set aside

In a medium pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk well for about 2 minutes, reduce heat to medium low, add milk and cream, whisking well.

Add remaining seasonings and whisk well. Toss in 2 cups of cheese, whisk well. Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble casserole, in a 13X9 inch greased casserole dish, add about 1 1/2 cups of cheese sauce to the bottom of dish. Top with chicken mixture, top with 1 cup of cheese, top with salami, top with ham, top with remaining cheese sauce, top with remaining cheese, top with panko, top with parsley.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. Broil for about 3 minutes to crust top of casserole.

Remove from heat and allow to cool about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with extra parsley if desired. Enjoy!