Ingredients
Filling
- 4 cups cooked skinless chicken breast 560 g, cut into bite-size pieces; do not use raw chicken
- 7 ounces fully cooked ham 200 g, diced small
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese 168 g
Dijon sauce
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 42 g
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 30 g
- 2 cups whole milk 480 ml, approximately 488 g
- 1/2 cup water 120 ml
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 30 g
- salt and black pepper optional, to taste; ham and cheese already add salt
Crumb topping
- 1 cup plain panko breadcrumbs 60 g
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 28 g, melted
Equipment
- 9 x 13-inch baking dish about 3 quarts
- medium saucepan
- Whisk
- Food thermometer
Instructions
Prepare and make the sauce
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Have a 9 × 13-inch, approximately 3-quart baking dish ready. Cut the cooked chicken and fully cooked ham into bite-size pieces, keeping the ham dice smaller. Spread both in the dish.
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute without letting it brown. Whisk in the milk gradually, starting with a small splash and smoothing the paste before each addition. Whisk in the water.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, whisking often, and cook about 4–6 minutes until the sauce lightly coats a spoon but remains pourable. Remove from the heat and stir in the Dijon. Taste and add optional salt and pepper only if needed. If the sauce has become too thick to pour, whisk in 1–2 tablespoons water.
Assemble and bake
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and ham. Gently fold so all the meat is coated and spread into an even layer. Scatter the Swiss over the top.
- Combine the panko with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter in a small bowl. Scatter evenly over the cheese without pressing down.
- Bake uncovered for about 30–35 minutes, until the center reaches 165°F (74°C) on a food thermometer and the topping is golden. Check around 25 minutes; tent loosely with foil if the crumbs brown before the center is hot. Chilled ingredients may need additional time.
- Rest for 10 minutes, then spoon into six portions. Serve with vegetables or salad if desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion (1/6 casserole)Calories: 500kcal
Video
Notes
Video credit: Laura Vitale, Laura in the Kitchen, episode 1013. Her demonstration uses the same cooked-chicken, roux-sauce, cheese-and-crumb casserole approach. Her version includes stock and Parmesan and bakes at a higher temperature; follow the quantities and temperature written here. The video is not presented as Laura Ambrouse's cooking.
Estimated calories: about 500 per one-sixth of the casserole. Calculated from the listed gram weights using USDA-derived cooked breast, whole-milk and Swiss entries plus representative fully cooked ham, unsalted butter, flour, panko and Dijon labels. Optional salt, pepper and side dishes are excluded. Brand and portion differences change the result; this is not laboratory analysis. Contains milk, wheat and mustard; check ingredient labels for other allergens.
Refrigerate in shallow covered containers within two hours, or one hour above 90°F (32°C). Keep at 40°F (4°C) or colder and use within three to four days, counting any time the chicken or ham was already stored after cooking. Reheat to 165°F (74°C). Timing assumes already-cooked chicken and ham; cooking them from raw is not included.
