Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 cup of pre-cooked chicken, shredded

1 cup of cubed fully cooked ham

2 ounces of Swiss cheese, thinly sliced

SAUCE:

2 tbsp of butter

2 tbsp of all-purpose flour

1-1/4 cups of whole milk

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon of pepper

TOPPING:

3/4 of a cup of panko bread crumbs

3 tablespoons of butter, melted

3/4 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Arrange chicken in a greased 11x7x2-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with ham. Top with cheese slices.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes then remove from heat. Don't let it thicken too much or it won't flow down between the chicken and ham properly. Stir in lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper; pour evenly over cheese slices.

In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3 tbsp of butter and 3/4 tbsp of parsley; sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, until sauce is bubbly and crumbs are golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.