These Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells are impossible to resist! This stuffed shells recipe combines the richness of a creamy Alfredo sauce with succulent shredded chicken and jumbo pasta shells. Baked with tangy ricotta cheese, a garlicky sauce, and plenty of Parmesan, this chicken dinner will become a regular on your meal plan.
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Ingredients
Roasted Garlic
1headgarlic
2 teaspoonsolive oil
Stuffed Shells
20jumbo pasta shells
3cupsshredded chickenI use a rotisserie chicken
2cupsshredded mozzarella cheesedivided
1cupgrated Parmesan cheesedivided
¾cupRicotta cheese
1largeegg
2tablespoonschopped fresh flat leaf parsleyplus additional for garnish, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
½teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonpepper
Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce
1headroasted garlicmashed (from above)
4tablespoonsunsalted butter
16ouncesheavy creamdivided - 1 3/4 for sauce and remaining 1/4 cup for thickener.
1 ¼cupParmesan cheesefreshly grated
saltto taste
½teaspoonground black pepper
1tablespoonall-purpose flour
¼cupheavy creamthe remainder of the 16 ounces
Instructions
Roast Garlic
Preheat the oven to 400 °F. To roast a whole head of garlic, peel off the outer skin, leaving the skin on the individual cloves. Cut 1/4 to 1/2-inch off the tops off of the cloves with a sharp knife so that you can see the individual cloves. Place the head of garlic on a square piece of tinfoil and drizzle with olive oil. With clean fingers, massage the two teaspoons of olive oil into the tops of the garlic cloves. Wrap aluminum foil around the whole head of garlic so that it is completely encased. Place wrapped garlic on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, or until cloves are tender when lightly squeezed. Set aside to cool enough to be handled. Use when ready to make sauce.
Stuffed Shells
After roasting the garlic, lower the oven temperature to 375°F. Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta shells, and boil to al dente about 9-11 minutes. Allow to cool while preparing the filling and sauce.
Chicken Filling
In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg with a fork. Add the shredded chicken, ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Mix completely. Set aside while you make the sauce.
Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce
Remove the cloves of garlic by gently squeezing them from the skins and place into a small bowl. With a fork, mash the cloves.
In a small saucepan, on low to medium heat, melt the butter. Add 1 3/4 cups heavy cream and the mashed roasted garlic, and heat to very warm, but DO NOT boil.
Mix the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, whisking constantly until cheese has melted.
To thicken the sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with the remaining heavy cream (1/4 cup)in a small bowl. Add the cream/flour mixture to the saucepan, stirring and heating until mixture thickens.
Assembly
Place one cup of the Alfredo sauce into the prepared baking dish and spread so that it coats the entire bottom.
Fill each shell with some of the chicken mixture and place into the pan with the filling facing up. Pour the remaining sauce over all of the shells.
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan over the top. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese has melted. Garnish with additional parsley.
Notes
This recipe is restaurant quality when you make the Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce from scratch, but if you'd like to save time, then by all means use a jarred sauce.
Nutritional Information has been calculated with one serving being about 3 ½ shells per person.