Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Imagine the looks on your campers’ faces if you told them you were making chicken cordon bleu for dinner. This is a fancy classic French dish made of chicken breasts (pounded flat) stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese. Each stuffed chicken breast is then rolled in bread crumbs and baked. Now, while you could make it this way in camp and bake them in a Dutch or box oven, we found an easy way to make it casserole style, which is great if you’re feeding a crowd.

This casserole has all the flavors of chicken cordon bleu, including the crunchy breadcrumb topping, without the labor, and, if you are feeding a crowd, a casserole is always a good way to go. Much of the prep work could be done at home before you go so that when you get to camp it’s just “some assembly required.”

The chicken can be cooked at home and cubed along with the ham, and the cheeses could be grated at home. Everything can be loaded into containers for the ride to camp in your cooler.

You could also modify this by adding some broccoli to it. You could also kick it up a notch and add some bacon bits giving it more of a club sandwich flavor.

Equipment
12-inch Dutch oven or 9×13 baking dish, and a skillet

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups small-cubed ham
1 1/4 cups grated Swiss cheese
1 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
4 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
salt and black pepper

Prep
At home before you go, cook the chicken breasts by either grilling, frying, baking or poaching, and cube them. Cube the ham and grate the cheeses. Load everything into containers or resealable bags for the ride to camp in your cooler. The cheeses could be combined in one container.

In camp, foil line (if you’re going to) and/or grease your Dutch oven. Put about a third of chicken in a layer in the bottom. Top with half the ham. Sprinkle over 1/4 cup of the mixed cheese. Repeat 1 more time, then finish with a layer of chicken.

You’ll probably want to start your coals about now.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Put the panko in a bowl, pour in half of the melted butter, mix well and set aside. Add the flour to the remaining butter in the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking out any lumps. Whisk in the milk, broth, Dijon and cayenne and let it cook until it begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt because the ham will bring some saltiness. You can always add more salt at the table.

Pour the sauce over the casserole. Sprinkle over the remaining 1 cup cheese, then the panko mix. Bake in a 350°F oven, using 17 coals on the lid and 8 underneath, for 25-30 minutes until the top is browned and the casserole is bubbling.

Makes about 6 servings. Serve with buttered noodles or a rice pilaf, and some green vegetables or a salad.

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Denver Frittata

On the average West Coast diner breakfast menu, the Denver Omelet, also known as the Western Omelet, is a common item. It’s made with red and green bell peppers, onion, ham, and cheddar cheese, and has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember. So, how to make one in camp or for a crowd? Convert it to a frittata.

Frittatas are simply baked omelets and perform extremely well in a Dutch oven in camp or in a cast iron skillet at home. Like most frittatas, this one starts on the camp stove by sautéing the vegetables. Once the vegetables are soft, the ham is mixed in and the cheese sprinkled on top. The egg mixture is poured over everything and the whole thing is baked until the eggs are puffy and set. The last 5 minutes of baking, you could even sprinkle on a bit more cheese to melt on top before serving. How easy is that?

The Denver is popular and has endured over the decades because of it’s bold flavors. Between the onion and peppers, sharp cheddar cheese, and smokey, salty ham, it is a great breakfast any time of year. Serve with biscuits, hashbrowns, and fruit. It’s sure to be a winner!

Equipment
10-inch Dutch oven or 7×9 or 9×9 baking dish, bowl, whisk.

Ingredients
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced small
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced small
1/3 cup yellow onion, diced small
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup (heaping) ham, cooked and diced small
8 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and black pepper

Prep
The ham and vegetables can be diced at home and loaded into containers or resealable bags for the ride to camp in the cooler.

In camp, assemble your materials (mise en place) and start 25 coals in a chimney.

On medium-high heat on a propane stove, heat oil in the Dutch oven. Add the bell peppers and onion and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, in a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and add the ham and toss together. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the ham and vegetables. Bake in a 400°F oven, using 17 coals on the lid and 8 underneath, for about 25 minutes or until egg is puffy and set. Serves 6.

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Hot Ham & Swiss Croissant Sandwiches

Recently, I had an epiphany. I know, it happens sometimes. I was planning a menu for a weekend I knew would be cold and most likely rainy. For lunch, I wanted to serve a steaming bowl of soup and a hot sandwich, the perfect combo on a cold, rainy day.

I was inspired by my friend Chris over at CJ’s Kitchen who likes to foil wrap sandwiches and warm them in the oven, and they come out warm, gooey, and yummy. But how to do that in camp? And then, in a moment of brilliance, it occurred to me that I could use my 16-inch Dutch oven simply as a warming oven. Sounds simple enough but it was a paradigm shift for my brain, which is usually focused on actually cooking in my Dutch ovens.

For my hot sandwich, I decided to go with a classic ham and Swiss. I have to confess here that I have never been a Swiss cheese fan, but I knew this was a classic pairing so I decided to give it a try and I love it. The Swiss cheese pairs perfectly with the ham. The Dijon, honey, and brown sugar condiment is sweet and tangy. The croissants were soft and buttery. When warmed, the Swiss cheese became soft and gooey.

This is a simple sandwich to make. I premixed my condiment at home and loaded it into a container for the ride to camp. The croissants I found at the store were a little small, somewhere between a slider and a full size croissant, so I picked up enough for everyone to have two if they wanted. I was feeding hungry Scoutmasters after all.

In camp, assembly took a little bit of time, but I had some help from a fellow Scoutmaster so it went pretty fast. We individually wrapped them in foil and loaded them into the preheated 350°F Dutch oven. After 15 minutes, the sandwiches were warmed through and the cheese had melted.

Served with a hot bowl of soup, it was the perfect lunch on a cold, rainy day. The sandwiches were so good, most everyone came back for a second. These were a smash hit and I will definitely do this again.

On a related note, I also used my 16-inch Dutch oven that morning to hot hold pancakes and it worked perfectly. As we pulled the pancakes off the griddle, we loaded them into the warm oven and they were all toasty warm when it came time to eat. I now have a new use for my 16-inch as a warmer and a hot holder!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 croissants split
8 slices Swiss cheese
1 pound deli ham (any flavor you like)

Prep
At home before you go or in camp, mix the mustard, honey and brown sugar together. Spread the honey mustard mixture on each side of the four split croissants. Place a slice of Swiss on each half of the croissants. Top the bottom half of each croissant with ham. Place the halves back together and wrap in foil. If you are assembling these at home before you go, place in a cooler for the ride to camp.

When it’s time to heat them, pile them into a Dutch oven and bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, using the number of coals appropriate for the size of your Dutch oven.

Serves 4

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Broccoli, Ham and Cheese Frittata

It was late October and it was cold. We were teaching outdoor cooking to a group of scouting adults and youth at Camp River Ranch. The Dutch ovens were immensely successful. The sticks and pie irons, not so much, but we were cooking gluten free and pie irons just beg for some kind of dough whether its pizza dough, pie dough, or bread dough. Besides, we’d decided we need more practice with sticks and pie irons.

For lunch on Saturday, we were feeding 20 and we made 2 batches of the Taco Cobbler in 2 12-inch Dutch ovens. In the 10-inch Dutch oven, we made a half batch that was vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free and it actually turned out really well.

For dinner Saturday night, we were feeding 16 and we made 2 broccoli, cheddar, and ham frittatas in 2 12-inch Dutch ovens and they were amazing.

A frittata is simply a quiche with no crust or an omelet that you bake. It makes a great main dish for breakfast or dinner. It was hot. The eggs were fluffy. The broccoli, ham, and cheese were yummy.

This is a fast and easy dish to make in camp because a lot of the prep can be done at home. All the dicing, shredding and mincing can be done at home, and then, in camp, it’s only some assembly required.

Equipment
12-inch Dutch oven, mixing bowl, whisk, cutting board, knife.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup green onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 head broccoli (fresh or frozen), diced
2 cups ham, diced
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
salt and pepper to taste

Prep
At home or in camp, mince the garlic; dice the green onion, broccoli, and ham; and shred the cheese.

In camp, line a 12-inch Dutch oven with foil and apply a light coating of non-stick spray or oil. Start 25 coals in your chimney.

In the Dutch oven, melt the butter and add the ham, broccoli, garlic, and green onion.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until well mixed. Add the milk, and cheese and stir once more. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the ham mixture and lightly stir to make sure that the egg mixture is evenly distributed.

Bake at 350°F, using 17 coals on the lid and 8 underneath, for 30-35 minutes or until the egg is cooked and the top is golden brown.

Makes about 8 servings

 

This post has been shared at Homestead Bloggers Network. If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, subscribe to Chuck Wagoneer by clicking on the Follow Us button in the upper right corner and follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest updates and more stuff!