Lightened-Up Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Wouldn’t it be great if everything that tasted good were also good for you? That way you would never have to choose between eating right and eating yummy.
But sadly, lots of delicious recipes are guilty pleasures. Like that French classic, Chicken Cordon Bleu. Chicken rolled up with Swiss cheese and ham, then breaded and fried…it’s wonderful, but it’s really not health food.
So I’ve put my brain to work coming up with a lighter version. First, I turned it into a casserole, which is a lot less work than all that stuffing and rolling. Then I lightened up the sauce by replacing the gobs and gobs of butter with a fat-free cream soup. I also replaced the butter in the bread-crumb topping with olive oil. And I chose a low-sodium, low-fat ham to take the curse off even more.
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This new, lighter version of Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole still has that combo of chicken, cheese, and ham that makes the original so good, but with a lot less fat and salt. Serve it with brown rice and spinach, and you’ve got a meal you can actually feel good about and enjoy eating.
Lightened-Up Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
(Printable recipe at the bottom of post)
- Preheat the oven to 350 Slice the chicken breast, season on both sides with the paprika, garlic, salt & pepper. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. I like to brown the chicken to give it an extra layer of flavor. Brown for about 1 minute on each side.
- Remove from heat and place in the bottom of a casserole dish.
- In a small sauce pot over medium low heat, add the cream soup, milk and sauce seasonings. Mix until fully combined and warmed. Remove from heat.
- Pour half of the sauce over the chicken. Layer the half of the ham, then half of the cheese. Add the remaining sauce, finish with the last of the ham and cheese.
- Mix the olive oil, bread crumbs and reserved ham (diced) together. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and sauce is bubbling at the edges.
Lightened-Up Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 can fat free cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 6 slices deli ham divided
- 6 slices swiss cheese
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- Chicken seasoning:
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Sauce seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian blend seasoning
- Pinch of salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 Slice the chicken breast, season on both sides with the paprika, garlic, salt & pepper. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. I like to brown the chicken to give it an extra layer of flavor. Brown for about 1 minute on each side.
- remove from heat and place in the bottom of a casserole dish.
- In a small sauce pot over medium low heat, add the cream soup, milk and sauce seasonings. Mix until
- fully combined and warmed. Remove from heat.
- Pour half of the sauce over the chicken. Layer the half of the ham, then half of the cheese. Add the remaining sauce, finish with the last of the ham and cheese.
- Mix the olive oil, bread crumbs and reserved ham together. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and sauce is bubbling at the edges.
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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I am always looking for something yummy and easy that I can cook for and enjoy with my neighbors! This just fits the bill. Thanks Corey!
I never thought to turn chicken cordon bleu into a casserole. My family will love this! Thanks for the inspiration, Corey!
I accidentally added the bread crumbs to the seasoning when I coated the skillet! When I looked at the recipe again, I decided to go with it.
I just used the remaining seasoned crumbs, olive oil and slice of cut up ham at the end! It’s in the oven now!
I think it will still be good!
Which low-fat low-sodium Ham did you find at your deli counter, please?
Great recipe, loved everything about it – except …. it was a LOT of paprika. So if you’re not a huge fan of paprika you might scale it back. I think next time I will cut it to 1 teaspoon in the seasoning for the chicken and cut the rest of the paprika. Otherwise, very awesome recipe.