Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan or iron skillet over medium heat, drizzle with olive oil, and cook the chicken on both sides until it's done. Remove and shred with two forks and allow to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, cottage cheese, mozzarella, 1 cup of the Parmesan, eggs, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, salt, pepper, and chicken. Stir to combine, splashing in 2 tablespoons heavy cream if needed. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and sprinkle over the flour. Whisk and cook until the roux turns golden brown. Pour in the milk and cream, whisking constantly, and cook for a few minutes, until thickened. Add the garlic, the additional 1 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon minced parsley, and minced basil and stir until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.

Add 1 cup sauce to the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Using a spoon, fill each of the jumbo shells generously with the chicken/ricotta mixture. Lay them face down in the pan, then pour the sauce all over the top. Sprinkle on extra mozzarella and Parmesan, then bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly and golden. Serve with salad!

I love chicken Alfredo. I love stuffed shells. Ergo, I love Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells! That doesn’t mean I’m good at math or logic—it simply means I’m good at eating. This is a tremendously delicious baked pasta dish, and if you have all the ingredients at the ready, it’s really not hard to pull together! It’s also a great casserole to assemble ahead of time and keep in the fridge until it’s time to bake.

And it’s nice and rich, so it serves a good-sized family if you add in a salad.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then drizzle olive oil on a grill pan or skillet. Grill the chicken on both sides over medium heat until totally done in the middle.

Shred the chicken with two forks…

In another bowl, combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and Parmesan.

Add grated mozzarella (and this is the supermarket stuff, not the fresh stuff)…

Two eggs (even though you only see one…)

Salt and pepper…

And minced parsley!

Next, add the shredded chicken…

And a little cream to make it stirrable…

And smush/stir it all together until it’s combined.

Now it’s time to make the Alfredo: Melt butter in a skillet and sprinkle over some flour.

Whisk it together and let it cook…

Until it turns a deep golden brown. This’ll take about 2 to 3 minutes!

Combine milk and cream and pour it in, whisking constantly.

Cook it until it bubbles up and thickens, 2 or 3 minutes.

Add some minced garlic…

Salt and pepper…

And plenty o’ Parmesan.

Stir until the cheese is melted!

Chop some basil and add it along with a little more parsley. Taste it and add more salt and pepper as needed. It should be nice and thick and miraculous. If it’s a little too thick, splash in a little more milk. If it isn’t thick enough, let it cook a bit longer.

Spread a little sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.

Use a spoon to fill each cooked shell really full with the chicken/ricotta mixture…

And place them face down in the pan with the sauce.

Then—you got it!—pour the sauce all over the top of the shells.

Top with more mozzarella…

Then bake it for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees! It needs to be golden on top and bubbling around the edges.

Sprinkle a little more parsley and basil on top…

And serve it up, 2 or 3 shells per serving!

I served it with salad greens, halved cherry tomatoes, and balsamic glaze.