Chicken Cordon Bleu

So upon looking over the contents of my fridge, knowing that I needed to pack my two crockpots up for the weekend, I decided to give another recipe I found on pinterest a try! Ella was joining us today to camp in the driveway so I thought she would like to be a guinea pig too. LOL! So once we were done waiting for Ella to arrive...

We chatted a bit and I then began work on dinner. Tonights meal was chicken cordon bleu pasta! I found it in pinterest from Amy's Kitchen but after reading some of the reviews, I tweaked it to fit our needs.

Pasta Cordon Bleu
Recipe courtesy of Dunne at With a Cherry on Top
Serves 8

1.5 lb. Pasta (I used penne)
2 cups Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed (I did 3 boneless, skinless and cubed in 1" chunks)
2 cups Ham, cooked and cubed
1.5 cups Milk
8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
1 small bunch of green onions
2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Salt
Pepper
Italian seasoning
dried minced garlic
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 cup Panko Crumbs
1/2 cup Butter, melted


1. Cook chicken in frying pan and season prior to cooking. I seasoned with pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, and dried minced garlic. When chicken is almost done, I added to the pan the white part of the green onion and fried it with the chicken.

2. Add cooked, cubed ham to the pan with the chicken and toss until warm.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over med-high heat. Salt it and add the pasta; cook 3 minutes less than what the package says is al dente. Drain and return to the pot. Add in the chicken and ham and toss to combine.

4. In frying pan where chicken was cooked: combine the milk, cream cheese, dijon mustard, remaining onion (green part) and cook on medium low stirring frequently, until is becomes a smooth texture (about 3-5 minutes) Add swiss cheese and half of the cheddar cheese, stir until smooth again.

5. Dump sauce into pasta, chicken, ham mixture and combine.

6. Transfer pasta to a greased or lined 9x13 baking dish and top with remaining cheddar cheese then the panko crumbs. Pour melted butter over crumbs.

7. Cook in oven at 350 degrees  for 30 minutes (or 375 degrees for 15 minutes) Look for the top to be golden brown. DO NOT OVER COOK! The pasta will get mushy!

 So, after feeding Mom, Ella, Mike, & myself, I saw Crista was finishing up with the neighbors and headed out so I flagged her down so she could try it too. Rave reviews from all! Woot. now comes the true test... with the boys next door even try it?!  The younger one had two entire helpings as well as his enchilada! Sheesh! The older of the two on the other hand... yeah, wouldn't even try a bite. Oy. So much for trying to please both.  Now to figure out what to throw in the crock pot for them tomorrow....