Chicken Stuffed Shells
on Feb 21, 2024
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Chicken Stuffed Shells are rich & creamy with tons of alfredo sauce & cheese. This easy weeknight dinner recipe is perfect for a quick meal. Save time by using rotisserie chicken and frozen vegetables!
When it comes to easy and delicious weeknight dinner recipes, there’s two things that can make them perfect: chicken and pasta. Chicken is a perfect inexpensive protein that’s so versatile when paired with pasta. Chicken dinners can become quite boring so today I thought I would share my Chicken and Stuffed Shells Recipe.
This recipe is nothing more than Stuffed Shells with chicken and cheese- plus some broccoli (feel feel free to omit or use your favorite vegetable) and Alfredo sauce. It’s quick to make on a busy weeknight or to serve for a bit of a fancy pasta dinner. I used a rotisserie chicken to real speed up the process.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this easy recipe for Chicken Stuffed Shells
- This is a super easy chicken dinner recipe is so simple to throw together. You can choose to use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken to keep prep time to a minimum. Sneak in vegetables by using quick and easy bagged frozen veggies.
- These Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells are loaded with all sorts of filling ingredients. The 3-cheese blend is rich and melty, the broccoli brightens it up a bit, and that Alfredo sauce keeps everything creamy and warm.
- Because this is such a simple chicken recipe, there’s plenty of room for you to take ingredients out, make substitutions, and add more flavors. Got a picky eater that hates broccoli? Just take it out!
Chicken Stuffed Shells Ingredients
What’s so good about this Chicken Stuffed Shells recipe is that it uses a lot of common ingredients that you might already have in your fridge or pantry. Here’s all the ingredients you will need- you might have to run to the grocery for some of the cheeses:
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- Pasta Shells – We used jumbo pasta shells from Barilla. any other brand or even store brand will work. Cook them by following the box instructions.
- Chicken – We’ll be using pre-cooked chicken for this recipe to save time and effort. Feel free to use a store-bought rotisserie chicken (my favorite method) or consider making our Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken instead! For something a little quicker, make some Baked Chicken Breast or Air Fryer Chicken Breasts.
- Cheese – We used a blend of ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese for this recipe. We’ll also sprinkle some mozzarella on top near the end.
- Egg
- Herbs – For a bit of extra Italian flavor, we decided to add in some of our favorite Italian herbs. We used some dried basil, dried oregano, and fresh parsley.
- Broccoli – Save yourself lots of time by cooking frozen broccoli. Whatever option you pick, remember to use cooked broccoli.
- Salt and Pepper
- Alfredo Sauce – Use your favorite store-bought Alfredo sauce- I had Bertolli alfredo sauce stocked in my pantry. If you you would like to make alfredo sauce from scratch, consider using our Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Chicken Stuffed Shells
Making these Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells is so simple and easy- that’s why we think it’s a great easy weeknight dinner recipe. To make this quick chicken dinner recipe yourself, here’s all you need to do:
- Start by preheating your oven. Then, cooking pasta shells by following box instructions, letting cool, and setting aside. Shred chicken and cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken, ricotta, some mozzarella, parmesan, egg, basil, oregano, parsley, broccoli, salt and pepper to a large bowl and stir well to combine.
- Grease a baking dish with cooking spray or shortening before adding alfredo sauce to the bottom of the dish. Add just enough to coat the bottom.
- Add the chicken stuffing mixture to each of the cooled pasta shells and set in the baking dish open side up.
- Spoon and pour the remaining alfredo sauce evenly over the top of the stuffed pasta shells. Cover baking dish with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Watch for the sauce to be bubbling.
- Remove dish from the oven and take off the aluminum foil wrapping. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella evenly over top the stuffed shells. Return to the oven uncovered and let bake another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve warm and optionally garnish with more fresh parsley.
Substitutions
If you don’t have all of the ingredients for Chicken Stuffed Shells on hand, then don’t worry. There’s plenty of room here to make substitutions- here’s a few you can give a try:
- Chicken Breast – Using chicken breasts is probably your easiest bet for this recipe but, because we’re using cooked chicken, you can use any cut really. If you prefer chicken thighs, feel free to use those instead- you can even use canned chicken in you want to keep this on a budget! In terms of other meats or proteins, pork is probably going to be your best choice- pork and alfredo sauce pair much better than something like beef.
- Herbs – Really, you can use all sorts of different spices and seasoning blends for this chicken pasta recipe- Italian seasonings just work best. If you don’t have the individual herbs we mentioned, see if you have some store bought or homemade Italian Seasoning on hand.
- Broccoli – If you’re not big on greens in this recipe, you could just drop the broccoli- we think keeping the broccoli in adds flavor and makes it a little healthier. If you just want a broccoli substitute, try using cauliflower or some more flavorful leafy greens like kale or spinach.
Variations
Another great thing about our Chicken Stuffed Shells recipe is that there’s plenty of room for you to customize it! If you want to try and bring in new flavors, give these two ideas a try:
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells – An interesting spin on this recipe brings in a bit of extra spice and heat! For this recipe, we’ll be swapping our cheese blend out for some cream cheese, white cheddar, and mozzarella. Mix in some store-bought ranch seasoning- or use our CopyCat Hidden Valley Ranch Mix– and some Homemade Buffalo Sauce and drop the alfredo sauce.
- Cajun Chicken Stuffed Shells – For another take on this recipe if you love stuffed shells, look to our Cajun Chicken Pasta for some inspiration. Swap the broccoli out for some onions and bell peppers, spice up with some Homemade Cajun Seasoning, and use cream cheese instead of ricotta.
Storage / Freezing
Storage: You can keep your Chicken Stuffed Shells in the fridge either before cooking as a make ahead recipe or after cooking as leftovers. If storing before baking, cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for 1-2 days before you are ready to bake. If your just putting leftovers in the fridge, consider transferring to an airtight container and keeping for 3-4 days.
Freezing: You can freeze Stuffed Shells, again, either before or after baking. You can keep your uncooked Chicken Stuffed Shells frozen for 1-2 months or freeze leftovers for 2-3 months. In either case, let thaw in the fridge overnight before baking or reheating in the oven or microwave.
Recipe Tip
If you like an extra saucy pasta, add a few more ounces of alfredo sauce.
Best Sides to Serve with Chicken Stuffed Shells
Looking for a side dish idea to serve with your Chicken Stuffed Alfredo Shells? Try these:
- Easy Dinner Rolls
- Make my Easy Garlic Butter Spread Recipe its a perfect blend for Homemade Garlic Bread.
- House Salad with Simple Salad Dressing
- Garlic Roasted Green Beans
Other Chicken Recipes
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Chicken Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 12 oz Jumbo Shells, cooked according to package directions
- 2 cup cooked shredded Chicken
- 1 cup Ricotta Cheese
- 2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 tsp Basil
- 1/4 tsp Oregano
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh Parsley
- 1 cup cooked Broccoli, cut in bite sized pieces
- 1/2 tsp Coarse Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 15 oz Alfredo Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Grease an oven-safe baking dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, parmesan, egg, basil, oregano, parsley, broccoli, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Add enough Alfredo sauce to the bottom of the prepared dish to just coat it.
- Fill the cooled shells with the filling mixture and place them in the baking dish, open side up. Spoon the remaining Alfredo sauce over the top of the shells.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the foil and sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over the shells.
- Bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes more, until the cheese is melted.
Notes
Nutrition
Jen, another great recipe!! I did use my own Alfredo sauce recipe, which I believe I also got from you! This recipe is super easy to make, and very good! It is a good idea to use Alfredo sauce from HR to make things move along more quickly on a busy weeknight, but since I am now retired, I have plenty of time to make the homemade version of the Alfredo sauce, as well! Either way, the recipe is delicious!
Hi Terri! I am happy you enjoyed this one. I made these chicken stuffed shells again last week with the store-bought Alfredo sauce. My kids said there was something a bit different than usual with them. I normally make them with Homemade Alfredo Sauce. So, they were able to taste the difference (they really like moms Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce), lol. They still devoured the whole pan of shells that I made with jarred sauce. I like adding the quick and easy versions of recipes for families who are very busy. It sounds like you are enjoying your retirement, nothing beats having the time to do what you enjoy. Thanks again for the rating and review. They really help the other readers. Have a wonderful day! -Jen