‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond’s Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe Is a 1 Pan Wonder

Ree Drummond makes a chicken cordon bleu casserole that’s the perfect comfort food in one pan. The Pioneer Woman star also has a fancier version of the classic dish that has a unique spin.

Ree Drummond calls her chicken cordon bleu casserole a ‘one-pan wonder’

Drummond demonstrated how to make her easy chicken cordon bleu casserole on an episode of The Pioneer Woman. “Chicken cordon bleu casserole is a one-pan wonder,” she said. “It’s really popular in my household and it’s a great make-ahead dish that I can throw into the oven any night this week. It’s also a play on regular chicken cordon bleu so, of course, I’ve got chicken. I also have some ham.”

She diced chicken and ham into small pieces and placed some of both in a baking dish. Then she added a layer of grated swiss cheese, more chicken, more ham, and more cheese.

“Regular chicken cordon bleu is, of course, a pounded chicken breast that you wrap around ham,” Drummond said. “It is tremendously delicious. But when you put it in casserole form, you can make it ahead of time and just whip it out whenever you need it. That is my kind of cooking.”

‘The Pioneer Woman’ star added a crispy topping to the casserole

Drummond made a crispy topping for the casserole to mimic the traditional breading on classic chicken cordon bleu by combining melted butter and panko crumbs.

In a pan, she whisked together melted butter and flour then added whole milk to make “the most luscious sauce known to man.” She added chicken broth, Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, and Swiss cheese and stirred the sauce ingredients well.

The Food Network host poured the sauce over the casserole. “The reason you don’t want it to be too thick is you want it to seep down into the crevices and cracks,” Drummond explained. She sprinkled the panko crumb topping over the casserole and baked it in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes.

The full recipe is available on the Food Network website.

Ree Drummond gives chicken cordon bleu a unique presentation

Drummond also makes a Hasselback version of chicken cordon bleu she calls “quick, easy, and good enough for company.”

She made the topping first, combining panko crumbs, melted butter, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

For the chicken, The Pioneer Woman star cut slits in the breasts without slicing all the way through. Then she brushed a honey Dijon mustard on the chicken and sprinkled the bread crumb mixture over the top. Then she tucked pieces of Canadian bacon slices and Swiss cheese slices in each slit.

Drummond baked the chicken in a 425 degree Fahrenheit oven for 40 minutes.

Once the chicken was cooked through and the bread crumbs were golden, she plated it and served it with simple sauteed green beans. “Now that’s an easy dinner,” she said.

You can find the full recipe on the Food Network site.