Description
A comforting and delicious Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Shells recipe featuring jumbo pasta shells filled with a creamy mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and cooked chicken, baked in rich red pasta sauce until bubbly and golden.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 6 ounces jumbo pasta shells (about 24 shells)
Cheese and Filling
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 ½ cups cooked chicken breast diced or shredded
- 1 egg
- ½ tablespoon dried parsley plus more for garnish
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- 1 ½ cups red pasta sauce (your favorite brand)
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the stuffed shells.
- Cook pasta shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the jumbo pasta shells and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle.
- Prepare filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, cooked chicken breast, egg, dried parsley, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- Prepare baking dish: Spread ½ cup of red pasta sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish to prevent sticking and add flavor.
- Stuff shells: Open each cooked pasta shell gently with your fingers. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling into each shell, filling it without bursting. Arrange the stuffed shells in the prepared baking dish as compactly as possible.
- Add sauce and cheese topping: Spoon about 1 tablespoon of pasta sauce onto each stuffed shell and spread it slightly. Sprinkle the remaining shredded mozzarella evenly over the top of the shells.
- Bake: Loosely cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.
- Serve: Carefully remove the foil to avoid steam burns, garnish with additional dried parsley, and serve the stuffed shells warm.
Notes
- Serving size is 3 stuffed shells per person.
- Cook more pasta shells than needed to allow for breakage during boiling or filling.
- Use 1 to 1 ½ cups cooked chicken breast, equivalent to approximately 2 small chicken breasts.
- For convenience, prepare chicken ahead of time or use store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 shells
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
