Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

This creamy chicken pasta is a twist on classic chicken cordon bleu with bites of ham and pasta coated in a decadent Gruyère cheese sauce. If you’re craving a comforting pasta dish, you have to try it!

How to Make It

I like to get the pasta boiling first and, while it cooks, start the chicken in a separate pan. You’ll use that same pan to make the rest of the dish, so the cheese sauce is infused with the chicken and ham flavor. It’s ready in about 30 to 40 minutes, so it’s a possible weeknight meal contender, or save it for a cozy weekend dinner.

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

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This pasta dish is a hearty and comforting twist on chicken cordon bleu.

• Author: April Anderson
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stove
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 8 ounces bowtie pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1” thick
• 8 ounces diced ham
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup whole milk
• 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded
• Chopped parsley for garnish, optional

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Instructions

1. Boil the pasta according to package instructions. Before draining it, reserve 1/4 cup of the starchy water and set it aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium to medium-high heat. Place the chicken breast in the oil and brown it on one side for four to five minutes or until golden brown. Flip it over and cook it on the other side until browned and the internal temperature is 165°F. 
3. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside on a cutting board. Adjust the heat to medium, add the diced ham to the same pan, and cook it for a couple of minutes. While it cooks, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
4. Add the butter to the pan with the ham. Stir, and once the butter is melted, add the flour, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook the mixture for a minute.
5. Add the milk to the pan while whisking to create the sauce. Whisk until there are no lumps of flour. Once the milk is steaming hot (not boiling), add the shredded cheese and stir until it melts into the sauce.
6. Add the cooked chicken and pasta to the pan and stir to combine. Add a splash or two of the reserved pasta water and stir again. Garnish with parsley if using.

Nutrition

• Calories: 707
• Sugar: 4.8g
• Sodium: 551.5mg
• Fat: 32.8g
• Saturated Fat: 15.6g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3.7g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 48.5g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 51.9g
• Cholesterol: 162.9mg

The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.

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Substitutions

Pasta

I love cute little pasta bowties, but any short pasta shape that holds sauce well will work. Penne, cavatappi, rotini, mini shells, macaroni… choose your favorite.

Ham

If you happen to have leftover ham from a holiday meal, this is the way to use it. If not, I buy those packages of diced ham – so convenient. You could also use deli-sliced ham and cut it into pieces. I would just suggest that you use thick slices.

Chicken

If you have leftover chicken on hand (ahem, rotisserie chicken would not be wrong either), this is a great way to give it a delicious second life (and makes the recipe easier). Skip the chicken cooking part, heat the ham in the oil, and just mix the cooked chicken in at the end after you make the sauce.

Cheese

I prefer the flavor of Gruyère cheese, but Swiss cheese is the next best option if you can’t find it.

Recipe Tips

Tips for the Most Flavorful Sauce

Ham is already cooked, so when you cook it in the pan, you’re mostly just heating it up and releasing some of its flavor, so when you make the sauce, it’s even better. I’ve tried adding the diced ham at the end without doing this cooking step, and the sauce just wasn’t the same. Good, but not great.

Making the Cheese Sauce

When you add the milk to the pan, be sure to whisk out all of the floury lumps, so you get a smooth sauce. Also, don’t boil the milk – it will cause the sauce to break. When this happens, it still tastes okay but doesn’t look so great. So, adjust the heat as needed so the milk is steaming hot before you add the cheese.

Storage Tips

This chicken cordon bleu pasta is best when it’s made, but leftovers will keep in the fridge for several days. Just keep in mind the sauce won’t be as creamy when it’s reheated. I find if you add a splash of milk, half and half, or heavy cream when you reheat the pasta, it helps improve the texture of the sauce. I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers.

Here’s to cozy pasta dishes! I hope you give this one a try soon.

Happy cooking,

More Comfort Food Dinners

This chicken cordon bleu pasta recipe has been updated from the archives. It was first published in October 2017.