Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

"What is Chicken Cordon Bleu?" says the guy that lives under a rock.  It is sauteed chicken stuffed with cheese and ham.  In this recipe the chicken isn't stuffed, it is simply tossed with ham and cheese in pasta. I saw this recipe when a friend pinned it on Pinterest.  I chose to use a Smithfield ham steak and cut it into cubes.  It wasn't quite a pound of ham.  I cubed two chicken breasts and then sauteed them in the pan after I finished with the ham.  I also used onion powder instead of dried minced onion and rotini pasta instead of penne.  I made it once with penne and I very much prefer the rotini.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

1 lb. Pasta (penne or other)

1 cup Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed

1 cup Ham, cooked and cubed (large)

1 ½ cups Milk

8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)

2 Tbs. Dried Minced Onion

2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded

Salt & Pepper

Cayenne Pepper (optional)

1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

½ cup Butter, melted

Heat the ham in a frying pan slightly cooking it on all sides. Cook pasta al dente according to directions, drain and return to the pot. Add in the chicken and ham and toss to combine. Preheat the broiler.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream cheese and minced onion over low-medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it becomes a smooth texture (about 5 minutes). Stir into the pasta mixture. Stir in the Swiss cheese and season with salt and peppers to taste. Transfer pasta to a baking dish and top with Panko crumbs. Pour melted butter over crumbs and broil until browned (I gave it 4 minutes).

This dish is very rich, but worth the calories. I hope you enjoy it as much as my friends and I did.  Comments welcomed!!