Day 25: Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with Rice

First on today's agenda--a big thanks to Mark for posting a link to my blog on the forum on the International Dutch Oven Society's website. I'm so excited to get some new readers and comments from "experts". I'll tell you, I am a bit intimidated by cooking for everyone. It is like having dinner guests every day! :) I'm just waiting to fall on my face, but I know all of you will help dust me off and pick me back up.
I love chicken cordon bleu, but I don't often have the time to make it, so I found this great casserole version on picky-palate. In my kitchen I would have used 3 pans, but the D.O. made it a one pot meal.

Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with Rice

12" dutch oven

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced (I left this out)

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 lb. diced ham

2 cups cooked chopped chicken

4 Tbs. butter

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 14 oz. can chicken broth

3 cups cooked rice

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

First, I boiled the chicken in my dutch oven (you could also fry it). Then I used some of the leftover water from the chicken to cook the rice. Set them both aside. Heat the oil in your dutch oven and add the onion and pepper. Cook until softened. Then add the garlic, ham and chicken; cook for about 5 minutes. Put the butter in the D.O. with the meat mixture and allow it to melt. When butter is melted, sprinkle the flour, salt and pepper over the meat and stir well. Pour in the chicken broth and stir until combined. Stir in the rice. Finally top with the cheeses and bake 25 minutes using 12 coals on the bottom and 16 on top.

The Finished Product

What I Learned

One pot meals are great! I would be willing to say that this was as easy to do in the D.O. as it would have been in the kitchen. I am learning to be more organized with my tools and ingredients, and that makes cooking outdoors a lot easier.

The Review

This was really good! It was ooey, gooey and cheesy. The rice added a nice texture and made it more hearty. It would be a really great weeknight meal. This gets an A for taste and ease.