If you love stuffed shells, you are going to love this twist on that classic recipe. The other day when I posted my Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce, I cautioned you that it was great on freshly made pasta but wasn’t a great recipe to bake with. Well today, you are getting a great Alfredo Sauce that you can throw in the oven. With it you are getting my amazing Chicken Stuffed Shells recipe. Use both together, or use them separately, you will absolutely love both.
How to Make Stuffed Shells with Meat
Tips and Tricks for Cooking Pasta
Be sure to use enough water. If you are cooking a pound of pasta (as we are here), bring 4 to 6 quarts of water to a boil.Make sure the water is at a roaring boil. You want to see huge bubbles when you add the shells.Set a timer for the length of time suggested on the box. This is particularly true for shells. They will be going into the oven, so we want them even less cooked than al dente. The time suggested on the box should account for this.Salt the water. A teaspoon or two of kosher salt in the boiling water can really enhance a recipe.Rinse the pasta with cold water after draining. This will stop the pasta from continuing to cook. That is important in this dish, since you likely will need a minute still before you are ready to stuff them.
Using Cooked Chicken in Chicken Stuffed Shells
Our Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells require cooked chicken. I have a few suggestions for this.
Buy pre cooked and shredded chicken from your deli. You only need 1 cup. Give it a rough chop when you get home.Boil some chicken. You will need less than half a pound of raw chicken for this recipe. Add your chicken to a sauce pan and cover it with water. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. It is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.Make chicken to shred in the Instant Pot.Buy several rotisserie chickens on sale for later use. Shred them, line them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours. Break up the chicken and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.
What Broccoli to Use for Stuffed Shells
In these stuffed shells, you can use several different types of broccoli, as long as it is cooked. Frozen broccoli is fantastic for this recipe. That is what I used here. You could also use fresh broccoli and steam or sauté it until tender.
Grating Your Own Cheese
I’m about to climb back on my cheesy soap box again. It is so import to grate your own cheese for this recipe. This is true of basically any recipe where we are making sauces and baking it. It melts a million times better than pre shredded cheese. The reason that freshly grated cheese is better is because pre shredded cheese has an additive in it to preserve it that prevents it from melting as well. Additionally, just based on my own experience, it is cheaper per ounce to buy the blocks of cheese. This will typically add, at most, five minutes to your recipe. Those five minutes are totally worth it.
Making Ahead
This is a great recipe to make the night before. It will last for 24 hours in the refrigerator. If you are tight on time when you get home from work, pull this out of the refrigerator and into the preheated oven. It will be done in a little over 30 minutes.
Freezing Alfredo Stuffed Shells
This recipe also freezes really well. Use a disposable baking dish so that you can take it right from the freezer to the hot oven without worrying about the dish cracking.
Wrap the disposable baking dish with the ready to bake chicken stuffed shells in plastic wrap three times. Store in the freezer for up to three months. When you are ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap, cover with foil, and put it into the hot 375 degree oven. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes, then broil until you get the desired browning of the cheese.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
If you have leftover shells, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, cover the shells in an oven safe dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the shells are warmed through. Please only reheat the amount of shells you want to eat in that sitting as leftovers shouldn’t be reheated more than once.
What to Serve with Chicken Stuffed Shells
This is a heavy meal, so I would suggest going with a vegetable as a side dish.
Vegetable SoupArugula Side SaladAir Fryer CauliflowerZucchini Salad
If you make these Chicken Stuffed Shells or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
