Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

This takes all the goodness of Chicken Cordon Bleu and turns it into an easy pasta dish.  It goes great paired with a fresh salad tossed in a lemony dressing.
Tyson's Frozen Crispy Chicken Strips can be substituted for fresh chicken preparation.  Be sure to check the package as only the crispy strips variety are yeast free as the rest have yeast for some unknown reason. Cook per package directions.



2 cups thin tube pasta
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
4 deli slices of smoked ham
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup swiss cheese
2 -1 oz Laughing Cow Swiss cheese triangles (optional)
1 tablespoon sparkling apple cider
½  teaspoon salt

4 chicken tenders
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
Oil for frying

Place a medium covered pot, half filled with water and 1 teaspoon of salt, over high heat.  Bring to a boil.
In a small zipper bag, combine flour with salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika.
Pound out chicken tenders between plastic film to flatten some.  Place each, one at a time, in flour mixture to coat, set aside.
Heat an inch of oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until flour sprinkled over it sizzles OR turn on deep fryer to 355 degrees F.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
In a medium sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat.
Chop deli ham slices and add to hot butter, stirring for a minute.
Add heavy cream to pan and allow to boil, stirring occasionally.
Add Swiss cheese, cider and salt, whisking until smooth. Allow to boil and thicken.  Remove from heat.
Fry chicken tenders for about 5 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.
Drain cooked pasta and add to sauce in sauté pan. Stir to coat evenly.
Chop fried chicken tenders into cubes and add to sauced pasta, tossing carefully to coat well.
Serve hot.

Serves 2-3