Creamy Garlic & Herb Chicken Stuffed Shells
A cheesy, family-friendly pasta recipe from Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate. Serve with garlic bread and a green salad for happy faces all around!
This recipe is for all of you cheese and garlic lovers out there. And herb and chicken lovers. And pasta lovers. Okay, basically this recipe is for everyone. Who wouldn’t like jumbo shells stuffed with a cheesy herb and chicken filling, topped with a creamy Alfredo sauce, and then topped with more cheese?!
These Creamy Garlic & Herb Chicken Stuffed Shells are definitely a crowd pleaser, in my opinion. Whether you have a picky family to cook for or a big dinner party coming up, I think this meal is exactly what you need.
This recipe does have a few steps to it, but none are too challenging. Let me break it down for you. First, cook the chicken and cook the pasta shells. While those are cooking, prepare the shell filling and the alfredo sauce. Oh, and if you want to just use a jar of Alfredo instead of making it, feel free! All there is left to do once these steps are done is assemble and bake.
One of the biggest tests of my recipes is whether or not my two-year-old will eat it or not. While it’s not exactly the BEST (or most accurate) test of how good a recipe is, I can always tell if it’s really good if he eats it. Guess what? This one got thumbs up all around the table.
These stuffed shells are best eaten with a big green salad and a loaf of garlic bread. At times I’ve thought, what’s the purpose of serving bread with pasta? It’s basically carbs on carbs. But then again, how are you going to get all of that delicious Alfredo sauce off your plate if you don’t have a slice of bread to scoop it up with? So carbs on carbs it is!
Creamy Garlic & Herb Chicken Stuffed Shells
5 servings
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
20 jumbo shells
2 cups cottage cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
4 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 F.
- Bring a pot of water to boil.
- Boil shells according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, parsley, basil, rosemary, tarragon and egg; stir well to fully combine.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Fold in shredded chicken and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Set mixture aside.
To make the alfredo sauce:
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add heavy cream and milk and stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until mixture begins to thicken.
- Season with salt and pepper; add Parmesan cheese, stirring well to combine.
- Let cook over medium heat for another 4-5 minutes.
To assemble:
- Spread 1 cup of the alfredo sauce over bottom of a 9×13 pan.
- Stuff each shell with chicken mixture, filling generously and lining up the shells in the pan.
- Pour remaining alfredo sauce over shells.
- Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
- Increase oven temperature to 400 F.
- Top shells with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake 10 more minutes, until cheese is melted.
- Serve topped with additional chopped herbs, such as parsley or basil. Enjoy!