For some reason, chicken cordon bleu has been rattling around in my brain since New Year’s Eve but loving casserole as much as this little Midwestern girl does, I thought it might be fun do a “hot dish” version. But THEN, I thought it might be even MORE fun to take the leftovers, roll them into little balls with egg and almond flour and bake into savory appetizer COMPLETE with keto béchamel sauce. (Plus there are veggies snuck into every bite so you don’t even have to make a side dish!) Starting 2020 off right!
Disclosure: Even though I was POSITIVE I had made this meal up, I noticed there were already recipes out there for both the casserole AND the meatballs! (Everything has already been invented I guess haha…) So I want to thank Wholesome Yum for giving me the idea to use cauliflower in this dish as I’m always looking for ways to incorporate cauli and other veggies for picky eaters get their veggies without even knowing!
*And not to brag but of COURSE Adam Carolla loved this dish on my “Eat Your Feelings” segment today!
So let’s start with the casserole!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
- 1 12oz bag of frozen cauliflower florets
- 8oz of ham, sliced or cubed
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 8oz bag of spinach, washed
- 2 cups gruyere cheese, shredded (plus an extra 1/2 cup to top)
- Kosher salt to taste
- Ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- Crumbled up pork rinds for topping (optional)
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 450.
- While oven is heating up, toss cauliflower – still frozen – in olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast cauliflower for 35-45 minutes, until veggies start to turn golden brown.
- While cauliflower is roasting, season chicken with salt and pepper and cook all the way through on medium-high heat. Set aside.
- Sauté onions until soft and golden, approximately 8 minutes.
- Add in spinach by the handful until all is wilted.
- Turn heat down and add in garlic, stirring constantly so garlic doesn’t burn. Set aside.
- Mix together sour cream, heavy cream and dijon in medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Once cauliflower is roasted, combine all ingredients in a mixer on level one until everything is completely combined. (If you don’t have a mixer, shred chicken by hand and then mix everything by hand in a large mixing bowl.)
- Turn down oven to 400 degrees.
- Transfer mixture to oven-safe casserole dish or skillet (adding extra shredded cheese and pork rinds if you wish).
- Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve!
Now let’s do the meatballs!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs with Bechamel Sauce
If you end up with some leftover mixture OR you double the recipe so you can also do the meatballs, here’s all you have to add…
Ingredients
- Chicken cordon bleu casserole mixture (feel free to add more cooked chicken and sautéed onions, about 1 more pound of chicken and another half onion.
- 1 extra cup of shredded cheese (gruyere, swiss or mozzarella)
- 1/4 cup extra heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 extra tsp dijon mustard
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup almond flour
Bechamel Sauce
- 1 8oz package of full fat cream cheese
- 8 oz of butter
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine all cooked ingredients back in the good ol’ mixer (or shred the extra chicken and mix everything by hand.)
- Roll into golfball-sized balls and lay them onto a wire rack over roasting pan (so air moves underneath them and the bottoms don’t get soggy).
- Place rack in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the outer layer is browned and a little crisp.
- While meatballs are cooking, melt cream cheese and butter in sauce pan or pot on low heat.
- Once melted, stir in cream and shredded cheese by the handful until it’s all melted in.
- Continue to stir to avoid clumps. (Sauce should be thick, creamy and have a nice “pull” from the mozzarella).
- Once meatballs are done, plate on top of sauce, with sauce over the top, or with sauce on the side for dipping.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Hi there! My name is Gina Grad and I’m a Los Angeles-based broadcaster and longtime comfort food appreciator. I’ve been on the radio here in SoCal since 2006 but since I’m originally from Kansas City, I’ve been eating the best casseroles, stews and one-pot meals the Midwest has to offer over the course of my entire life.
Cooked this recipe today and it came out great. Easy and delicious
Allen, I’m so happy to hear it! xoxo, GG
I made the casserole recipe over the weekend. It was fantastic! Super easy to make. The pork rinds really were the “icing on the cake”. I’ve really missed casseroles since cutting out carbs but I didn’t miss the pasta or the potato chips with this recipe. Husband said “put in rotation”.
Haha! This makes my heart sing, Sandy! xoxo, GG
Made the casserole tonight and it was delicious! I subbed broccoli for the cauliflower and it turned out so tasty. Will definitely make this again.
Great idea, Katie! I’m so glad you liked it! xoxo, GG
Oh my God! Sooooooooo delicious! I could have eaten it all in a sitting! Great meal on a chilly winter day! Thanks Gina! ❤️
That’s terrific, Jen! I’m so happy to hear it! xoxo, GG
Just made this dish and it was exceptional. Keep the recipes coming.
I can’t tell you how happy this makes me, Ira! Yay!! xoxo, GG
This is by far my favorite recipe! It was easy to make and my family (husband and teenage sons) loved it. I had just enough left over for lunch the next day and it was just as yummy warmed up. Thank you Gina for the recipe.
I love this, Taunya! Wonderful! xoxo, GG
This is one of my new favorite NSNG recipes! Made this tonight to all but one of the specific instruction (roasted raw cauliflower florets in olive oil for 30 min at 450), and it earned an unprompted “Damn, that’s delicious” from the boyfriend. Couldn’t agree more! Thank you, Gina!!
Oh Madeline, I’m THRILLED to hear it! Thank you so much for sharing!! 🙂 xoxo, GG
Thank you for posting this recipe. It was delicious and was nice to get some variety. This diet can be monotonous. I normally just eat a hamburger patty and salad.
HAHA I totally get that, Joe! So glad you liked it!! xoxo, GG
Thank you very much for this recipe, it was delicious. I made it for my wife who just recently joined me on the NSNG journey and she loved it as well. She had trouble believing it was low carb. Keep up the great work!
Wonderful, Matt! My best to you and your wife! xoxo, GG
Gina, this is the most delicious casserole that I have ever had! My wife made it for company and it was a huge hit. You clearly have a talent for blending flavors.
Bud, this is SO LOVELY! Thank you for these kind words! I’m so honored! xoxo, GG
Yummy yummy yummy, low-carb love in my tummy! Sooooo good, simple & cheap. Adding it to the rotation!
Yay! Thank you, Brenda!! xoxo, GG
Hi Gina,
Just made the chicken cordon blue recipe and my wife and I freaking loved it!
I’m not a fan of stevia or other weird tasting sweeteners, so I was wondering if you knew of a good sugar substitute for recipes. Am I out of luck on this?
Also I have a request for you recipes, to add a yield as I try to plan out how many days the meal will last for.
Thanks and keep doing what you do with your recipes and on the show!
Cheers,
Keith
Keith, I’m so glad to hear you guys loved it! I honestly don’t mess with sweeteners bc you’re right – they’re not great! I will start adding the yield and thank you so much for getting in touch! xoxo, GG
I’ve been wanting to make this since “Eat your feelings” and finally got to this week. Huge crowd pleaser. I will definitely be adding it to the regular rotation!! Thank you!
Woohoo!! xoxo, GG