Classic mac and cheese but with all the flavors you love in chicken cordon bleu! Creamy, cheesy and loaded with chicken and ham, this is an easy way to feed the family!
Mac and cheese is definitely a dish that can take on so many other flavors like this lobster mac and cheese for an extra indulgent taste for dinner. Or maybe keep dinner low carb and make my cauliflower mac and cheese with cauliflower replacing the pasta!
But growing up with chicken cordon bleu for dinner at least every couple of weeks, I knew the flavors would do well in mac and cheese. This recipe is packed with cheese, chicken, diced smoked ham and peas.
How to make chicken cordon bleu mac and cheese
This recipe begins as every Mac and cheese should do, with a roux of melted butter and flour. After the flavor of the flour has been cooked out, whole milk is added and begins to thicken when mixed into the roux.
Technically this is called a béchamel sauce and doesn't really taste of much. The best part is when the cheese is added, and the better the cheese you use, the tastier your mac and cheese will be.
I like to use a few different kinds of cheese for even more flavor. As well as regular sharp orange cheddar, white cheddar are really good to use.
What is chicken cordon bleu?
Traditional chicken cordon bleu is thinly pounded chicken wrapped in ham and cheese and then breaded and pan fried or deep fried. It sounds delicious because it is.
Chicken, smoked ham and melted gooey cheese are made for each other!
Time saving tips for this recipe
- Cook your chicken ahead of time. The chicken has to be fully cooked before being folded into the Mac and cheese. You can even buy pre-cooked chicken breasts.
- Make the whole recipe ahead of time but skip the oven bake until closer to when you'd like to serve it.
- Crispy bacon or Pancetta would work as well as smoked ham.
- This will easily feed 6 hungry people.
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