Recipe - Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

With no kitchen sink, oven, or stove, the meal you see pictured above is definitely not on the menu this week at our house.  But thank goodness I have some recipes and photos filed away under "Future Savings for Sisters Posts."  The recipe for this delicious concoction, Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, was sent to me a few months back by my sister, Stacey, who daily braves the dark and frigid 5 a.m. hour to prepare hearty home style breakfasts at her country store in Wisconsin, much to the delight of the locals who have been bereft of morning dining options for several years since a nearby cafe closed.  Her "Brat-tot Breakfast Burrito" has quickly become legendary, not to mention such original favorites as "Brat-Browns Supreme" (crispy hash browns topped with homemade bratwurst, grilled onions, cheddar cheese, finished with two eggs and served with toast).  Need I point out that bratwurst is an important staple in that part of the country?  Anyway, after feeding hungry townsfolk and running the store by day, she surprisingly enjoys making creative meals for her family at night, such as this tasty casserole version of the familiar classic dish.  This is a snap to prepare if you've stashed some leftover chunks of cooked chicken and ham away in your freezer from another meal, but even if you have to cook the chicken breasts from scratch and purchase some deli ham, the rest of the dish comes together easily with a box of Stove-Top stuffing, Cream of Chicken soup, and pre-sliced and shredded cheeses.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

6 small chicken breasts, cooked

2 cups ham, cut into small cubes

8 oz package sliced Swiss cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup evaporated milk

1 box Stove-Top Stuffing mix

1/2 stick or so melted butter

1.  If your chicken is not already cooked, lay it out in an oblong cake pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add 1/2 cup water, cover pan tightly with foil and cook at 375 around 40 minutes until you cut one in half and it looks done.  When it's cool enough, cut into small pieces.

2.  Grease an oblong glass pan with butter and spread chicken evenly out in the pan.

3.  Sprinkle the ham on top of the chicken.

4.  Lay out the cheese on top of the chicken and ham.

5.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the shredded cheddar cheese on top of the Swiss cheese.

6.  Mix the soup and milk and pour evenly over the casserole.

7.  Sprinkle the Stove-Top over the soup.

8.  Drizzle the top with melted butter.

9. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. 

10. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 15 minutes or so until crispy and bubbly.  Serves 6.