Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Chicken cordon bleu pasta is a creamy, dreamy, (almost) one pan dinner made extra delicious with the rich flavors of chicken, ham, and cheese.
How long it takes: 43 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet and small skillet
Servings: 4
All the Flavor of Chicken Cordon Bleu In One Pan
Chicken cordon bleu is one of those retro recipes that’s hard to resist. But rolling, breading, and frying isn’t usually my weeknight vibe. Enter this chicken cordon bleu pasta: all the nostalgia, cheesy goodness, and savory ham you love, now in a creamy, one-pan pasta dish ready in under an hour.
Why I love it:
- Retro flavors made easy: All the taste of chicken cordon bleu without the extra steps. (If you want a recipe that is a bit more traditional, try my baked chicken cordon bleu.)
- Family-friendly: Kids and adults alike adore the cheesy sauce, pasta, chicken, and ham.
- One-pan convenience: I adapted this recipe from my creamy garlic chicken pasta and marry me chicken pasta, both of which are absolutely delicious—so you know this chicken cordon bleu pasta will be delectable too! The pasta cooks right in the sauce, making dinner simple and stress-free.
Comfort food that hits all the right notes – fast, cheesy, and utterly satisfying.
Ingredient Notes
Scroll down for the complete recipe, including measurements. This section is an overview, with helpful tips and substitution ideas.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: These can be replaced with boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Diced ham: I like to use ham steak but this recipe is also great to make with leftover crockpot ham after a holiday. You could also buy a package of pre-diced ham.
- Pasta: I like to use cellentani, penne, or rotini because these shapes hold sauces well. You’ll need 8 ounces of dry pasta.
- Heavy cream: Take the heavy cream out of the refrigerator when you begin cooking this recipe so it can come to room temperature. This helps prevent it from curdling.
- Swiss cheese: I recommend shredding your own cheese for the smoothest melt, although pre-shredded works too. Emmenthaler or gruyère cheese would also work.
- Dijon mustard: Classic chicken cordon bleu typically includes Dijon in the sauce. It adds a sharp, zippy kick. Another type of mustard won’t work well in this recipe.
- Panko breadcrumbs: This copycat pasta recipe has a buttery panko breadcrumb topping to mimic the breading you’d find on classic chicken cordon bleu. You could also use homemade bread crumbs, which have a coarse texture similar to panko. Of course, skipping the crispy breadcrumb topping is an option but, after testing this recipe both ways, we decided that it really makes this pasta dish shine!
How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta
Cook the chicken. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet (that has a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season it with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate and discard the juices from the pan.
Cook the aromatics. Reduce the heat to medium and add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Stir in the onions and cook just until softened, but not browned. Add the garlic and cook another minute, until it’s fragrant. You don’t want to brown this either; dark brown garlic has an acrid flavor.
Simmer. Add the broth and uncooked dry pasta to the pan and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the pasta is cooking evenly and not sticking to the pan.
Make the sauce. When the pasta is al dente, reduce the heat to low and stir in the room temperature cream, shredded cheese, and mustard. Once you’ve got a smooth sauce, stir in the chicken and ham. Cook over medium-low until the sauce is thickened a bit and the ham is warm. Remove the pan from the heat and cover while you toast the breadcrumbs. The sauce will continue to thicken as the pasta absorbs the liquid.
Make the topping. Melt the butter in a small skillet and add the breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring constantly, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. (If you leave them in the skillet, the residual heat will continue to toast the breadcrumbs and they may scorch.)
Put it all together. Stir the chicken cordon bleu pasta, and season to taste. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over each serving.
Helpful Tips
Add more liquid if needed. Although you shouldn’t have to add more broth, if you notice that the liquid has cooked off before the pasta is tender, add more broth or water. The dry pasta does absorb a lot of liquid!
Skip the second skillet. The small skillet for making the breadcrumb topping is what makes this an almost one-pan dinner. If you really want to skip washing another dish, you can make the breadcrumb topping first in the big skillet, transfer the breadcrumbs to a plate, wipe out the pan, and proceed with the rest of the recipe. It doesn’t matter if they cool off.
Season to taste. The amount of seasoning you need at the end will depend on the salt level of your broth. Be sure to taste, then season so you don’t end up with pasta that’s too salty.
Serving Suggestions
- Salad. Serve a fresh green salad with red wine vinaigrette as a side to balance out the richness of this chicken Cordon Bleu pasta. A house salad would go great, too. Another easy option is this cucumber tomato salad which is simply chopped cucumbers and tomatoes in a vinaigrette dressing. Marinated tomatoes are another great choice, especially if you have garden-ripe tomatoes.
- Garlic bread. Crisp buttery garlic bread is a classic accompaniment to any pasta dish! I love this Texas toast garlic bread. Another easy option is warm Italian bakery bread served with this restaurant-style bread dipping oil.
- Vegetables. Add color and nutrition to your meal with a simple veggie side like green beans almondine or sautéed Brussels sprouts.
Refrigerate: Although this chicken cordon bleu pasta is best eaten immediately, if you have leftovers, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Freeze: If you want to store leftovers longer, freeze them instead. Transfer the pasta to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag with the excess air pressed out. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Warm leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat; add a splash of broth to loosen up the sauce a bit.
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Ingredients
For Pasta:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized cubes)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ cup finely diced onion (1 small onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 8 ounces pasta (cellentani is pictured, penne or rotini also work well)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 8 ounces diced ham
For breadcrumb topping:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Measure out 1 cup of heavy cream and leave it out of the refrigerator so it can come to room temperature while you’re prepping the meal.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet (with lid available) over medium-high heat. Add the cut-up chicken to the pan, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Discard any accumulated juices.1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- In the same pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil; add the chopped onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute, stirring.½ cup finely diced onion, 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Add the chicken broth and pasta to the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium.3 cups chicken broth, 8 ounces pasta
- Cover the skillet and continue to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the pasta is tender. Add more broth or water as needed, but the majority of the liquid should be absorbed by the time the pasta has finished cooking.
- Once the pasta is cooked, reduce heat to low, and stir in the cream, Swiss cheese, and Dijon mustard. Return the chicken to the pan; add the diced ham, and cook over medium-low heat until sauce has thickened slightly and ham is heated through.1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 8 ounces diced ham
- Remove the skillet from the heat and cover, while you prepare the bread crumb topping.
- In a small skillet, melt butter. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate immediately to cool so the breadcrumbs don't scorch.1 tablespoon butter, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Stir pasta once more, taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if desired. Serve pasta sprinkled with breadcrumb topping.
Notes
- Cooking tip: If you don’t want to wash an extra skillet, you could toast the breadcrumbs in the same large skillet you’re going to use for the chicken. Toast the breadcrumbs first, remove them from the skillet, wipe it out with a paper towel, and proceed with the recipe as instructed.
- Breadcrumb topping: You can omit the topping if you like; however, we tested it both ways and decided that the crispy breadcrumbs really make this pasta dish outstanding.
- Storage & reheating: Although this creamy pasta dish is best eaten immediately, if you have leftovers, transfer them to a covered container and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat gently in a skillet or microwave, adding more broth, half & half, or water to loosen up the sauce, if necessary.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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