A pasta dish that takes the best flavors of French chicken cordon bleu and Italian stuffed shells and combines them together. These Chicken Cordon Bleu Shells use leftover chicken and ham, yes leftovers, stuffed into jumbo pasta shells. Top with a creamy cheese sauce and bam! No one will believe they’re eating leftovers. It’s that good!
Today was the perfect day to try out some new recipes so I scrounged through my kitchen to see what I could find. How about some leftover chicken and a package of large pasta shells. Jackpot! I also found a small ham steak that I’d been saving for some reason and decided to throw that in the mix.
I’ve been dying to make Chicken Cordon Bleu for a while, although not in the standard sense, I wanted it to be something out of the box and different. How about an Italian take on the French classic? Maybe a casserole that showed off all the same yummy flavors. Bingo! That was it!
How to Make
- Make the chicken cordon bleu sauce by melting & whisking in flour. Add half & half, white wine and onion and let it reduce. Add Worcestershire sauce and shredded Swiss cheese.
- Continue to stir until melted then add salt, pepper and sherry.
- Dice ham, chicken and cheese and mix with thyme, salt and pepper.
- Fill precooked jumbo pasta shells and pour sauce over shells.
- Top with Panko crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes and golden brown on top.
Woohoo – instant French Italian dinner! And it turned out sweeet! It was a super delicious dinner and didn’t taste like leftovers at all! In fact, it will be perfect (as a leftover leftover lol) for next week’s lunches. A great way to stretch meats and get a tasty dinner on the table quick. Hope you enjoy!
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A pasta dish that combines chicken cordon bleu & Italian shells using leftover chicken & ham. Top with creamy cheese sauce & leftovers never tasted so good.
- 14-16 jumbo shells
- 1 large chicken breast, cooked and chopped
- 1/3 lb. ham steak, chopped
- 6 oz. Swiss cheese, cubed
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- salt & pepper
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup low-fat half & half
- 1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 oz. Swiss cheese shredded
- salt & pepper
- 1 Tablespoon sherry
- 1/4 cup Panko crumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9?x11? baking dish by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
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Cook shells according to package directions. Mix together all ingredients for filling. Divide filling between shells and arrange in prepared baking dish.
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To make sauce, place butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter has melted, whisk in flour and continue to cook for about 1 minute.
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Add half & half and white wine/chicken broth and whisk constantly until well blended.
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Add onion then reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 3-5 minutes, stirring often.
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Add Worcestershire sauce and shredded Swiss cheese and continue to stir until melted then add salt, pepper and sherry. If sauce is too thick you can add additional white wine/chicken broth.
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Pour sauce over shells and top with Panko crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
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Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Serve with side salad and a loaf of French bread.
Wine Pairing: I would definitely suggest a Prosecco. The effervescence of the wine is the perfect foil for this rich dish full of cheese and cream. You can also try a semi-dry Riesling or possibly an unoaked Chardonnay. On the red side, if you must, a Pinot Noir would fit the bill quite nicely.
