Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Try this Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 105.826717513842 g
- Cholesterol 622.105000341367 mg
- Fat 190.290707627193 g
- Fiber 4.92120000171661 g
- Protein 131.874572511029 g
- Saturated Fat 110.684295079964 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (1477g)
- Sodium 2725.59750095475 mg
- Sugar 100.905517512126 g
- Trans Fat 14.555352509362 g
- Calories 2663 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over med-high heat. Salt it and add the pasta; cook until al dente (about 11 minutes-I used whole wheat pasta which takes a bit longer than regular pasta). Drain and return to the pot. Add in the chicken and ham and toss to combine.
- Preheat the broiler. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream cheese and minced onion over low-medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it becomes a smooth texture (about 5 minutes). Stir into the pasta mixture. Stir in the Swiss cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer pasta to a baking dish and top with Panko crumbs. Pour melted butter over crumbs and broil until browned (I gave it 4 minutes).
Melting cream cheese into milk requires low, steady heat around 160 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent the dairy proteins from curdling and separating into grainy solids. When multiplying this formulation for larger gatherings, understanding how mass and surface area affect thermal transfer is critical for predictable results. Doubling a casserole does not simply mean doubling the baking time; thicker layers trap heat differently and alter moisture evaporation rates.
- To scale the dairy sauce safely, maintain a constant ratio of five ounces of cream cheese per cup of milk, whisking continuously over medium-low heat until the emulsion holds a uniform gloss.
- When increasing the pasta volume beyond one pound, use a stockpot that holds at least six quarts of water to prevent starch concentration from gumming up the penne surfaces.
- Baking dishes wider than nine by thirteen inches will expose more Panko topping to the broiler, requiring careful rotation at the four-minute mark to achieve even browning without burning.
- For smaller batches, reduce the Swiss cheese by exact weight rather than volume measurements to ensure the meltability index matches the original recipe specification.
Proper equipment distribution ensures thermal consistency throughout deep baking vessels. Standard ceramic baking dishes retain heat longer than thin metal pans, which influences how quickly the internal temperature reaches safe holding levels.
