Fusion food is all the rage right now, and we thought we’d jump on board by trying a fusion recipe of our own. We’ve took two of our favorite comfort foods and combined them into a twist on the originals. Our chicken cordon bleu lasagna blends all the goodness of these two dishes in the best possible way. We’re still able to keep the comfort food status of both recipes, but in a way that is sure to satisfy a tableful of hungry folks. This also works as a casserole, but we love how the layers of flavor come together with lasagna noodles.
We all know chicken cordon bleu and lasagna are two very different dishes. The former coats chicken with breadcrumbs, which is then stuffed with ham and cheese, then either baked or fried; lasagna is pasta baked with cheese and a savory tomato and meat sauce. To make our fusion recipe work, we broke down the basic components of each dish to find a combination that would essentially pay homage to both dishes. Lasagna noodles hold everything together while diced chicken, Italian cheeses, and ham act as a hearty filler. Build layers as you would for a lasagna and top with Swiss cheese and seasoned bread crumbs. Once baked, a creamy and savory dish comes piping hot out of the oven, and we’ve got just the hungry bunch to serve this to.
One might argue that this is more like a casserole, and we’ve definitely made a casserole version, but we really like the idea of this as a lasagna. Layer upon layer of cheesy goodness, punctuated with chunks of chicken and salty bites of ham are so good, and get another layer of texture and flavor with a crisped topping. This is where we make the final tribute to chicken cordon bleu, with a layer of shredded Swiss cheese and seasoned bread crumbs. Together these get bubbly and crispy in the final stages of baking and give the whole dish a warm golden color that begs to be cut into. Everyone in our house agrees – this is a “bleu” ribbon winner!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz) package lasagna noodles
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened and diced
- 1 ½ cups shredded Italian cheese blend
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
- ⅓-1 cup milk, room temperature
- ½ pound deli ham, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish, set aside.
- Add lasagna noodles to large pot of salted, boiling water. Cook according to minimum time based on package instructions.
- In a saucepan on medium heat, melt butter. Add in cream cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir until melted. Whisk in Italian cheese blend and stir until completely melted.
- Place a layer of lasagna noodles on bottom of baking dish, trimming to fit, if necessary.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of diced chicken along with half of diced ham. Pour 1 cup cheese sauce over top and begin second layer, repeating same process. Top with a final layer of noodles with remaining cheese sauce, followed by 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese and finish with a layer of breadcrumbs.
- Cover with tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 10-12 minutes or until top of lasagna begins to bubble and turn golden brown.
- Allow lasagna to rest briefly before serving.
Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything
