Ah, the Layered Cordon Bleu Bake! Don’t let its fancy-ish sounding name fool you… it’s really not too complicated! And as a result of your brave venturing out, you’ll be rewarded with a big bake that all starts with a layer of melty cheese sauce, then some juicy chicken cutlets, a bit more of the savory cheese sauce, a layer of salty ham, a sprinkle of yummy cheeses, and a nice, crunchy panko topping to really seal the deal. See? There’s nothing too intimidating about this Layered Cordon Bleu Bake. It’s simply delicious!
Ingredients
For the bake:
- 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons butter, cold, divided, plus more, to taste, softened, for greasing the dish
- 8 chicken breast cutlets, boneless and skinless
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 1/2 cup ham, cook and diced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup Swiss cheese, grated, divided
- 1 cup low-moisture mozzarella cheese, grated, divided
For the panko topping:
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, plus more, to taste, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2 –Use the extra softened butter to grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 3 –Evenly season the chicken cutlets with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper.
Step 4 –In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon of the cold butter and 4 of the seasoned chicken cutlets and cook until they are browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. The meat will not be cooked through.
Step 5 –Transfer the browned cutlets to a clean plate and repeat the cooking process with 1 teaspoon of the cold butter and the remaining chicken. Avoid wiping the skillet clean unless the butter or browned bits in it have turned dark brown.
Step 6 –In the same skillet, add the ham pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
Step 7 –Transfer the ham to a clean plate and set it aside.
Step 8 –In the same skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the cold butter.
Step 9 –Gradually whisk the flour into the melted butter and cook, while stirring, for 1 minute.
Step 10 –Gradually whisk the milk, the chicken broth, and the cayenne into the flour mixture and bring to a simmer.
Step 11 –Cook the sauce mixture, stirring often, until it has thickened, about 3 minutes.
Step 12 –Transfer the skillet from the heat and add the Dijon mustard, and 1/2 cup of the Swiss cheese and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese to the sauce mixture and stir until the cheeses melt.
Step 13 –Season the sauce mixture with the remaining the salt and the remaining pepper.
Step 14 –In a small bowl, combine the panko, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of the melted butter and mix until it is well-combined.
Step 15 –Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Step 16 –Arrange the browned cutlets, overlapping them slightly, over the cheese sauce.
Step 17 –Evenly spread the remaining cheese sauce over the browned cutlets, then top with the cooked ham pieces.
Step 18 –Top the ham layer with the remaining Swiss cheese and with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Step 19 –Evenly sprinkle the panko mixture over the cheese layer.
Step 20 –Bake the cordon bleu bake until the chicken cutlets reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the casserole is golden-brown and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.
Step 21 –Transfer the cordon bleu bake from the oven and allow it to cool, about 10 minutes.
Step 22 –Serve the cordon bleu bake garnished with the extra parsley.
