Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

I made an absolute mess in the kitchen but this recipe was worth it. :) Like so many others, I have an unhealthy obsession with Pinterest and I stumbled across a recipe for Pasta Cordon Bleu pinned from Amy’s New Kitchen who found it here. Initially I just pinned it and saved it for later then while printing recipes I wanted to try out, I read what Amy wrote in her blog. She had expressed some disappointment with a lack of flavor but then added later that the leftovers were better than fresh from the oven. Still, I was a little turned off by the thought and decided to take a whack at the concept by creating my own recipe.

Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of my favorite dishes but my sister for some inexplicable reason has a problem with any recipe where the meat is stuffed like chicken cordon bleu or braciole. It’s frustrating because I love those kinds of dishes. Unless it’s a burrito or pasta, she won’t have anything to do with stuffed goodies. She loves pasta and carbs though!

Last time I posted, I shared the Cooking Light recipe for the Pancetta, Spinach and Penne Casserole. Please forgive me for posting this one right after it, your waistline might hate me a little. But I decided to take the method from that dish and change the flavors to create this Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta.

I was so excited to make this I didn’t spend as much time sous chef-ing for myself in preparation. There were so many dishes everywhere! 

Seriously, once the sauce came together and I tasted it, I was doing a little dance of glee because it tasted just like chicken cordon bleu! Oh my goodness graciousness! So so so good. Once it came out of the oven I tried to wait ten minutes, I think I got to five before digging in. And I practically inhaled it then tried to resist seconds…sort of failed. I stuck my fork into the casserole dish for a couple more bites.

1 lb tube or short pasta, cooked

1 c. cooked chicken breasts, chopped

8 oz combo of ham, pancetta, and prosciutto

¾ c. onion, chopped

2 tsp garlic, minced

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

3 ¾ c. 2% milk

¼ Half and Half

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 ¼ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ c. Swiss, shredded

½ c. Gruyere, shredded

¼ c. butter, melted

1 c. panko

Cook your pasta and set it aside but don’t let it cool down too much. Cook your chicken, chop and set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet (with high sides if you have one) over medium-high heat. Add pancetta, ham, prosciutto, onion, and garlic. Sprinkle with just a touch of salt. Sauté for 5 minutes or until onion is tender.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife then pour into a small bowl. Gradually add ¾ c. milk, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture, the rest of the milk, the half and half, nutmeg, cayenne, thyme, ground black pepper, and chicken to the pan.

Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in cheese until it melts.

Combine pasta and sauce, stir until well coated then pour into a casserole dish. (If you used a skillet with high sides, you should be able to pour your pasta directly into the pan with the sauce.)

Toss the panko with the melted butter then sprinkle over the top of the pasta. Bake for 6 minutes or until panko is browned and crisp.

I suggest letting it sit for 10 minutes after taking out of the oven. Ok, five, if you can’t wait that long.

Every bite of this was so tasty, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am that this worked.

Looking for the recipes I drew from to create this one?

Pasta Cordon Bleu from Amy's New Kitchen

Penne with Pancetta, Spinach, and Buttery Crumb Topping from Cooking Light

Chicken Cordon Bleu from Tyler Florence

Classic Mornay Sauce from Emeril Lagasse