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Creamy, cheesy, and packed with flavor, these Chicken Stuffed Shells are the ultimate comfort food! Made with tender pasta shells filled with shredded chicken, ricotta, and mozzarella, then baked in a creamy alfredo sauce. This easy dinner recipe is perfect for family meals, special occasions, or meal prep—sure to become a favorite!
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo is one of my favorite weeknight meals when I don’t have much planned. But I wanted to make a stuffed shells version that I could entertain with, or have in the freezer for busy weeks. These Chicken Stuffed Shells are similar and there are a few shortcut options that you are going to love!
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Jumbo Pasta Shells
- Ricotta Cheese
- Cooked Chicken – great use for leftover or rotisserie chicken
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Frozen Spinach – you will want to let it thaw and the squeeze the moisture from it or your shells will just be soggy
- Italian Seasoning – you can use store bought or make your own Homemade Italian Seasoning Blend
- Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
You can get a little creative for what you want to fill your shells with, but I think this is a delicious blend of creamy, cheesy, filling and flavorful.
Alfredo Sauce
This homemade sauce comes together in minutes while the pasta is cooking, but if you are super short on time, you can use 2 jars of store bought alfredo sauce instead.
- Butter
- Garlic
- Flour
- Heavy Cream
- Milk
- Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
How To Make Chicken Stuffed Shells
- Cook Shells. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook jumbo shells according to the package directions, minus 2 minutes. You want them slightly under done as they will continue to cook in the oven. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Make Filling. Meanwhile in a mixing bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, shredded chicken, mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, spinach, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Once blended, set aside.
- Make Sauce. In a saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat and sauté garlic for 1-2 minutes, until you can start to smell it. Add in flour, stir and cook for a couple minutes until no white streaks remain. Slowly whisk in heavy cream and milk and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 5-6 minutes until it starts to thicken. Stir in Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Keep on low heat while you stuff the shells.
- Fill Shells. Once the shells are cool enough to handle, use a spoon to fill each shell with the chicken mixture. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the shells over the sauce as you fill them.
- Bake. Pour remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until hot and the cheese is melted.
Helpful Tools
Storage
Chicken Stuffed Shells make for great leftovers. Just cover or keep in an airtight container and you can reheat in the oven until warm or even microwave for lunch the next day.
Freezing Stuffed Shells
These Alfredo stuffed shells actually freeze really well. I like to freeze it before I bake it. So pour over the sauce, sprinkle with cheese and then wrap well with plastic wrap and foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When it is time to bake, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Remove the plastic and bake following the recipe instructions. If it is partially frozen or super cold you may need to add an additional few minutes of baking time.
Can You Make Ahead
This is a great dish to make ahead. It will last in the fridge for about 24 hours before you bake it. So if you are meal prepping or spending time making dinner one night, this is great to get ready so the next night you can just take it out and make it.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Make sure you really drain your frozen spinach. Frozen spinach contains so much liquid that can really wreck your dish if you don’t remove it. I like to thaw the spinach on a dish towel, and then ring that dish towel out over the sink. Once the spinach is nice and dry you can use it in the recipe.
- If you are short on time you can pick up 2 jars of alfredo sauce from the store instead of making your own.
- You have a lot of options for the chicken in this recipe. Rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, buy pre-cooked chicken from the deli….any cooked chicken will work. You need about 2 cups total, which is under a pound. So you can also bake a chicken breast and shred it if necessary.
- Don’t like spinach? You can use another vegetable instead. Finely chopped broccoli is a great alternative. You could also just leave it out.
What To Serve With Stuffed Shells
More Comforting Dinner Recipes
Chicken Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 12 oz box Jumbo Pasta Shells
- 15 oz container Ricotta cheese
- 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
- 5 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Alfredo Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook jumbo shells according to the package directions, minus 2 minutes. You want them slightly under done as they will continue to cook in the oven. Drain and rinse with cold water.12 oz box Jumbo Pasta Shells
- Meanwhile in a mixing bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, shredded chicken, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, spinach, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Once blended, set aside.15 oz container Ricotta cheese, 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken, 5 oz frozen spinach, 1 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- In a saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat and sauté garlic for 1-2 minutes, until you can start to smell it.2 Tablespoons butter, 2 cloves garlic
- Add in flour, stir and cook for a couple minutes until no white streaks remain.2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Slowly whisk in heavy cream and milk and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 5-6 minutes until it starts to thicken.1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1 1/2 cups milk
- Stir in Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Keep on low heat while you stuff the shells.
- Once the shells are cool enough to handle, use a spoon to fill each shell with the chicken mixture.
- Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 13×9 in baking dish. Arrange the shells over the sauce as you fill them.
- Pour remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until hot and the cheese is melted.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This looks so delicious. I love the addition of the chicken for an extra blast of protein, too.
I honestly haven’t tried anything like this before and I am so excited!
This is really yummy and very easy to make! My kids new favorite!
This is a must make recipe! My family will be impressed! Perfect for Sunday dinner!
So flavorful an absolutely delicious! The sauce was so good! Thank you!
We love stuffed shells at our house! This is a new recipe we can try, can’t wait!!!