Chicken Cordon Bleu Shells

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!

I combined the ham, cheese and chicken into a mix then stuffed them into some precooked shells. Then all I needed was a Cordon Bleu type of sauce to put over the top and voila – 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!

5 from 2 votes

Print

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU SHELLS

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

A pasta dish that combines chicken cordon bleu & Italian shells using leftover chicken & ham. Top with creamy cheese sauce & leftovers never tasted so good.

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Linda Warren

Ingredients

Chicken Filling

• 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

Cordon Bleu Sauce

• 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

Topping

• 1/4 cup Panko crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9?x11? baking dish by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Cook shells according to package directions. Mix together all ingredients for filling. Divide filling between shells and arrange in prepared baking dish.
3. 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.
4. Add half & half and white wine/chicken broth and whisk constantly until well blended.
5. Add onion then reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 3-5 minutes, stirring often.
6. 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.
7. Pour sauce over shells and top with Panko crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
8. 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.

DON’T MISS A RECIPE!

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST