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A wooden spoon lifts a serving of cheesy pasta bake with ham and a golden breadcrumb topping from a casserole dish.
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5 from 2 votes

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

🧡🍽️ A comfort food, family favorite made with tender pasta, shredded chicken, diced ham, and a melted Swiss cheese filling. The buttery topping is made with Ritz crackers, Parmesan, and is SO good! Use leftover chicken and ham to save time so you can whip this up in 30 minutes.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: 30-Minute Meals, Casserole, Chicken, Dinner, Ham
Cuisine: Chicken, Dinner, Ham
Keyword: cordon bleu casserole, cordon bleu chicken casserole, cordon bleu with chicken
Servings: 8
Calories: 480cal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 cups dry rotini pasta (or another small-shaped pasta such as ziti, penne, small shells, etc.)
  • 3 cups shredded Swiss cheese (substitute with shredded mozzarella or provolone if desired)
  • 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken to save time)
  • 2 cups diced cooked ham (leftover holiday ham is great or a ham steak from the deli counter)
  • 10.5- ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
  • 3-4 cloves garlic finely minced (or subtitute with ~1 tsp garlic powder)
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (don't use yellow mustard, Dijon is really key for flavor)
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
  • 1 sleeve Ritz crackers lightly crushed (about 18 crackers or use 1 cup panko breadcrumbs; any flavor of Ritz is fine original or try Garlic & Herb for extra flavor)
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup salted butter melted (substitute with unsalted butter if desired, and consider adding a pinch of salt)
  • fresh parsley optional for garnishing

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400F and spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish or lightly grease the dish; set aside.
  • Pasta: To a large pot of boiling and salted water, add 3 cups dry pasta, and boil until al dente. Drain, rinse, and set aside. Meanwhile, continue with the next step below.
    A white pot with wooden handles filled with cooked rotini pasta, viewed from above on a light surface.
  • Filling: To a large bowl, add the shredded Swiss cheese, chicken, ham, soup, garlic, Dijon, salt, pepper, and stir to combine well.
    A glass bowl containing shredded chicken, diced ham, shredded cheese, minced garlic, cream soup, mustard, salt, and pepper, all separated into sections.
  • When the pasta is ready, add the pasta to the filling mixture and stir to combine.
    A glass bowl filled with rotini pasta mixed with diced ham and shredded cheese on a white surface.
  • Assembly: Turn out the filling mixture into the prepared baking dish and lightly smooth the top with a spatula but don't firmly pack it.
    A white baking dish filled with cooked rotini pasta mixed with small pieces of ham and chicken in a creamy sauce.
  • Make-Ahead: If you'd like to make this ahead of time, stop now, cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil, and store in the fridge for up to 48 hours. When ready to bake it, take it out of the fridge about 1 hour prior to baking and set it on your counter so the baking dish and food have a chance to warm up. Make the topping as directed below and bake as directed.
  • Topping: To a large bowl (the same one you used for the filling mixture is fine), add the Ritz crackers and using a wooden spoon, lightly mash or bang them around so they crumble into pieces. I like some larger pieces so I don't mash them into dust.
    A glass bowl containing separate piles of crushed crackers and breadcrumbs on a white surface.
  • Add the Parmesan, evenly drizzle the melted butter. Toss to coat and combine. It won't be overly buttery which is fine.
    A clear glass bowl containing a crumbly mixture of crushed crackers or cookies on a white surface.
  • Evenly sprinkle the topping over the top of the filling.
    A white rectangular baking dish filled with a casserole topped with a golden, crumbly layer of crushed crackers.
  • Bake: Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once midway through baking to ensure the topping browns evenly. Baking Tip - If the crackers are toasting too quickly and getting too dark, you can cover the casserole with foil for the second half of baking.
    A baked casserole topped with a golden, crispy breadcrumb layer, garnished with chopped parsley in a white rectangular dish.
  • Garnish: Optionally garnish with parsley, allow to cool momentarily, and serve.
    A wooden spoon lifts a serving of cheesy chicken casserole with a golden, crumbly topping from a baking dish.

Notes

Make Ahead: If you'd like to make this in advance, you can prep the filling layer, cover, and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. When you're ready to make it, make the buttery Ritz topping, add it, and bake as directed. Make sure to set the casserole dish on the counter for about 1 hour before you plan to bake it off because you don't want to put fridge-cold food into the oven since it'll take much longer to warm through and bake. 
Storage: Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave as desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 480cal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 1002mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 608IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 394mg | Iron: 2mg
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