Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This fun recipe came out of the current issue of Cuisine at Home! It was titled Cuisine for Two which caught my eye because I am a empty Nester! Although I make plenty of recipes for 4 or 6, because we happen to love leftovers! The sauce for this casserole was soo delicious! Eating it in the bread bowl was a "little" challenging but so worth the effort!! :)Saute chicken until beginning to brown.

Hollow cut loaves by cutting off tops and tearing out insides.
Arrange ham slices in bottom of each loaf.

Top the chicken in each loaf with a slice of Swiss and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake casseroles until cheese melts, 7 - 10 minutes.

All you need to go with this dinner is a simple salad. Wait till you try this simple Lemon-Poppy Seed Dressing; it'll become your new favorite dressing ...I Promise!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

with creamy mustard sauce

For the Chicken

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 cup apple juice or cider

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

1 Tbsp. stone-ground mustard

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 cup broccoli florets, blanched

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

For the Casserole

2 round sourdough loaves (each 6-inch)

2-4 thin slices smoked ham (2 oz.)

2 slices Swiss cheese, divided

2 tsp. grated Parmesan, divided

Preheat oven to 400.

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a saute pan. Add chicken and saute until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Stir in shallots and saute until softened, 2 minutes. Sprinkle mixture with flour, cook 1 minute.

Combine apple juice and broth; slowly add, stirring constantly to avoid clumping.

Stir in cream, Parmesan, mustard, and thyme; simmer after each addition until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli; season with salt and cayenne. Reduce heat to low.

Hollow out loaves by cutting off tops and tearing out insides. (remove as much bread as possible.) Compress any remaining bread inside loaves to make room for filling. Toast loaves directly on oven rack, about 5 minutes; remove to prepared baking sheet.

Arrange ham slices in bottom of each loaf. Using a slotted spoon, divide chicken mixture evenly between loaves, reserving sauce in pan. Top the chicken in each loaf with a slice of Swiss and sprinkle with 1 tsp. Parmesan.

Bake casseroles until cheese melts, 7-10 minutes. (For extra browning, broil casseroles on high, 3-5 minutes.)

Serve each casserole with reserved cream sauce.

Lemon-Poppy Seed Dressing

with Romaine

Whisk together

1 tsp. minced lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Toss dressing with chopped romaine lettuce, then garnish with thin slices of red onion.