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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Sausage Cheese Croissant Catastrophe

Another catastrophe for the recipe book. We made this a couple weeks ago while teaching outdoor cooking to Girl Scout adult volunteers at Camp Robbinswold. It was very tasty. The croissants brought a buttery sweetness and the Swiss cheese was nutty and sweet, which were nice contrasts to the savory sausage, green onions, and Parmesan.

It was easy to make in camp. The sausage could be browned at home or browned in the Dutch oven in camp. The first five ingredients are tossed together like a salad. The egg mixture is poured over the top and then it’s all covered in cheese. For a fancier version, you could use Gruyère cheese. Kids can help prep by tearing the croissants into chunks.

I would recommend getting it all assembled and then starting your coals. The catastrophe can rest while the coals get going. After a 45 minute bake, the eggs are cooked through and the cheese is all melty.

Equipment
12-inch Dutch oven or 13×9 baking dish, bowl, whisk.

Ingredients
1 pound ground sausage, browned
1¼ cups (5 ounces) Parmesan cheese shredded
1 teaspoon salt
6 green onions, sliced
1 package mini croissants (about 24), torn into chunks
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
5 large eggs, beaten
2 cups Gruyère or Swiss cheese

Prep
Foil line your Dutch oven if you choose, and coat it with butter or cooking spray. To the Dutch oven add browned sausage, Parmesan cheese, salt, green onions and croissant chunks, and toss together. Whisk together the milk, cream and eggs, and pour over the top. Let it rest so the croissants soak up all the liquid. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake in a 350°F oven, using 17 coals on the lid and 8 underneath, for 45 minutes.

Serves 10-12

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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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